Hockey fans on Long Island turned an NHL matchup into a show of solidarity for a jailed former NYPD sergeant whose case has become a flashpoint in the debate over law enforcement, public safety, and activist prosecutors.
During the New York Islanders home game against the Carolina Hurricanes, supporters rallied behind ex-Sgt. Erik Duran, who is fighting to overturn what many see as a politically driven and excessive prison sentence imposed by a far-left Bronx judge. According to Gateway Pundit, the fundraising effort unfolded inside UBS Arena, where thousands of fans were urged to contribute to Durans legal defense as he appeals his conviction in a case that has alarmed police officers nationwide.
The controversy stems from an August 2023 incident in the Bronx, when Duran was supervising a buy and bust narcotics operation and confronted fleeing drug suspect Eric Duprey. Duprey, attempting to escape on a motorcycle along a sidewalk, was struck after Duran hurled a coolergrabbed from a local familys sidewalk tableat him, knocking him from the bike; Duprey later died from his injuries.
Despite the chaotic circumstances and the threat posed to officers and bystanders, Duran was charged with second-degree manslaughter in January 2024. Last week, The New York Post reported that Bronx Judge Guy Mitchell, widely viewed by critics as a radical jurist hostile to law enforcement, sentenced the father of three to a term of three to nine years in prison.
Your honor, I am asking for a chance to be there with my kids. I am asking for a chance, just one, Duran pleaded in court before being led away in handcuffs. His request for leniency was rejected, reinforcing concerns among conservatives and police advocates that New Yorks justice system now punishes officers for split-second decisions made in the line of duty while coddling repeat offenders.
At Tuesdays Islanders game, the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association (SBA) took the unusual step of using the arenas massive Jumbotron to promote a fundraiser for Durans legal defense. The unions campaign aims to secure the resources needed to challenge what supporters describe as a gross miscarriage of justice and a dangerous precedent for officers nationwide.
This is all about Eriks family, said union head Vincent Vallelong, who attended the game alongside Post executive Patrick Judge, Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky and other SBA members. Whatever it takes to get him out, is exactly what it is everyone on this board believes and everybody in law enforcement is going to do at this point. The message is that basically, this is going to affect law enforcement across the nation. They all feel that this can happen in their cities.
Fans in the arena were invited to donate directly to Durans fund via a QR code flashed on the Jumbotron, with the campaign already having raised $40,000 by Tuesday morning. In addition, a portion of the nights 50/50 rafflenearly $45,000 in totalwas earmarked for the legal fund launched Monday by the SBA to support Durans appeal.
The effort is being spearheaded by the National Police Defense Foundation (NPDF), which laid out the stakes of the case in stark terms. In August 2023, Sgt. Erik Duran, a highly decorated member of the NYPD, was supervising a buy and bust operation in the Bronx. One of the suspects attempted to evade capture by mounting a nearby motorcycle and driving it on the sidewalk, directly at responding officers. Fearing that his officers would be seriously injured or killed by fleeing felon Eric Duprey, Sgt. Duran grabbed an Igloo cooler and hurled it at Duprey to divert him from crashing into his officers, their prisoner, or bystanders.
Sgt. Durans actions saved the lives of innocent civilians nearby, his officers and their prisoner. Unfortunately, suspect Duprey, a known member of the Trinitarios street gang who was not wearing a helmet, was killed. Attorney General Leticia James chose to prosecute the Sergeant for Manslaughter, and after a bench trial in February 2026, Sgt. Duran was found guilty of Second-degree Manslaughter.
On April 9th, 2026, Judge Guy Mitchell sentenced the former Sergeant to three to nine years in prison, and he was immediately taken into custody after sentencing in what the National Police Defense Foundation believes is a blatant miscarriage of justice. We believe that Sgt. Duran never intended for the suspect to be injured or killed. The sole predicate for his actions that day was to protect his officers, other suspects and bystanders from Duprey, who recklessly fled at a high rate of speed along a pedestrian walkway created a clear and present danger of death or serious bodily injuries to others, thereby justifying the Sergeants actions.
At the direction of Executive Director Joseph Occhipinti and the Executive Board, the National Police Defense Foundation has created the Sgt. Erik Duran Legal Defense Fund. We encourage all our members to donate whatever they can so that bail can be arranged for the former Sergeant pending appeal.
For many conservatives, the Duran case encapsulates a broader crisis: a justice system increasingly weaponized against those who wear the badge, even when they act to shield the public from violent criminals. As Islanders fans opened their wallets, the message from the stands was unmistakableif New Yorks political class will not stand with the men and women who risk their lives to keep the streets safe, ordinary Americans still will.
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