New York cop who accused coworkers of menacing her with text messages gets arrested for sending them herself

A police officer from New York who expressed her concerns for several months about receiving threatening text messages from her coworkers was taken into custody following claims by investigators that she had actually been the sender behind all of them.

Emily Hirshowitz, a 36-year-old individual from the Ossining Police Department, faced accusations at the Westchester District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday. She was charged with four instances of third-degree false incident reporting, in addition to three counts of first-degree fabricating a fraudulent document.

The second mentioned offense is a serious crime that charges her with submitting a statement with fraudulent intent.

Starting in May 2022, Hirshowitz lodged a filing with the district attorney’s office stating that she was getting unidentified menacing SMS from a number of phone numbers.

The cop reported that “a fellow police officer or multiple police officers at my department are involved,” court documents The Journal News acquired reads.

During the month of July and into August, she expressed dissatisfaction once more, providing investigators with screenshots exhibiting lengthy messages containing profanities, which strongly encouraged her to take her own life and referred to her as “useless,” a “reject,” and a “dumb *****,”

Law enforcement and nearby authorities were greatly disturbed by the messages’ “increasingly threatening content,” prompting them to contact the district attorney for a more thorough investigation. However, Hirshowitz expressed her desire to withdraw the accusation on August 12.

Her worried attentive higher-ups remained resolute, and on August 23, police Chief Kevin Sylvester summoned a gathering for the entire department to address the texts.

The mayor of Ossining, along with additional officials from the area, received an invitation to participate, as reported by The Journal News.

However, it is said that the authorities were prompt in doubting Hirshowitz, and by October they obtained a legal order to examine her telephone and online records and accounts.

The prosecution stated that the proof promptly suggested that she held control over multiple telephone numbers from which the alarming messages originated, and it is probable that she had sent them to herself.

After the accusations made against her last week, Hirshowitz was placed on a paid leave.

The legal accusation mentioned that an individual recognized by the district attorney’s office seemed to have dispatched three of the SMS, although it did not specify the sender’s identity.

Louis Rinaldi, a previous Ossining law enforcement officer, who stepped down in the spring due to distinct disciplinary accusations, has emerged as a potential associate to Hirshowitz.

According to The Journal News, Rinaldi was mentioned multiple times during the inquiry into the messages, and his attorney, Michael Santangelo, stated that the ex-officer was being investigated.

Hirshowitz became a part of the Ossining Police Department in 2016, and two years later, the local Rotary Club branch recognized her as the recipient of the employee of the year award.

“There’s a lot of mystery and confusion surrounding the allegations in this case and we’ll evaluate as we learn more,” her attorney, Paul DerOhannesian stated.

Emily Hirshowitz is scheduled to make a court appearance on July 12 at the White Plains City Court.