J.C. Rice
The final overpass that an NYPD detective, killed in the line of duty, used to cross on his long journey home to Riverhead each day will now bear his name.
The Brian Simonsen Memorial Bridge sign on a Long Island Expressway overpass between exits 70 (Manorville) and 71 (Hampton Bays) will be unveiled Tuesday — on what would have been the slain cop’s 47th birthday.
“This is the last overpass before our exit,” his widow Leanne Simonsen told The Post. “So it was basically the welcome home bridge. It meant he was almost here. So that’s why I chose that bridge.”
Simonsen was accidentally killed by friendly fire during an attempted robbery at a Queens T-Mobile store in 2019 when a masked intruder pulled a fake gun on responding officers. He was 42.
His widow hopes the bridge renaming will keep his memory alive since the couple did not have children.
“My whole goal is to always have Brian’s name out there,” Leanne Simonsen, 50, said. “Long after I’m gone, his name will still be there. And even if one person looks up to see who this guy is who this bridge is named for, it keeps his name alive.”
Christopher Ransom, who pointed the fake gun at cops, was shot eight times but survived and later pleaded guilty in October 2021 to aggravated manslaughter.
He’s currently serving a 33-year prison sentence.
His lookout, Jagger Freeman, was found guilty in June 2022 on 13 counts, including second-degree murder. He was sentenced to 30 years to life.
The Detectives Endowment Association was one of the organizations that backed the bridge dedication.
“Brian Simonsen died a hero, doing what NYPD detectives are trained to do: putting their lives on the line fighting criminals,” Detectives Endowment Association President Scott Munro said in a statement. “We will never forget him.”
But Leanne Simonsen still struggles with the senseless losseven as she runs a nonprofit foundation — helping kids and animal rescues — in her late husband’s name.
“We had goals, and when he died all our goals, dreams, it was all shattered,” she said. “A lot of times I just feel lost. I could be in a crowded room with people I love, but I still feel so alone.”