Three-year-old Vince Abbate was at a birthday party when he saw a toy gasoline can and playfully went to fill up a nearby truck.
It was a case of like father, like son. The boy’s father, Michael Abbate loved working on and racing cars. And little Vince loved to tag along with his dad.
“Michael and our son, Vince, had a powerful bond,” Vanessa Abbate, the widow of Nevada State Police Sgt. Michael Abbate, said Monday during her husband’s memorial at Central Christian Church. “They loved working in the shop together and finishing a project.”
Abbate, 37, and Trooper Alberto Felix were assisting a motorist who appeared to have fallen asleep in their vehicle Nov. 30 when they were hit by a vehicle driven by a motorist who was suspected to be impaired and killed on Interstate 15 near J Street, police said.
Jemarcus Williams, 46, was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on two counts each of reckless driving resulting in death, DUI resulting in death and duty to stop at the scene of an accident involving death, police said.
Vince is already taking after his father, who had a passion for anything with an engine, his wife said. He also raced on amateur racing circuits at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, she said.
“Our son is just like his dada — 100% speed driven,” Vanessa Abbate said, also recalling how she met her husband in 2006 at a California speedway.
Michael Abbate brought his love for driving to his job with the Nevada State Police.
He was in charge of the department’s driver education program, which included leading officers and cadets for training at the Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club in Parhump.
Sgt. Jesse Winder, who spent years as Abbate’s partner on the graveyard shift, recalls a training session in December on the emergency vehicle operating course when the lights were off.
Abbate jumped in the passenger seat of the patrol car Winder was driving, only to watch as his friend drove the vehicle off the course and into some gravel.
Winder said Abbate’s sense of humor was his favorite characteristic.
“Mike had a way of making you feel better, even when you are embarrassed,” Winder said. “He said, ‘It’s OK, buddy, we will get you squared away on the next lap.’”
Winder also detailed one of the last times they spoke, when Abbate said he was going to be late to a meeting because he was assisting an elderly motorist on the 215 Beltway change a flat tire.
It was a similar narrative to what happened the night Abbate was killed.
Williams, whom prosecutors said was “heavily intoxicated,” fled the scene after hitting the officers, authorities said.
A few hours later, after conducting a street-by-street search, officers located an unoccupied vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle near J and Monroe streets, police said.
Abbate’s badge was found inside the vehicle, police said.
“As most of us slept safely in our homes, Sgt. Abbate was out protecting our community,” Gov. Joe Lombardo said at the memorial. “We will never forget him or the sacrifice of Sgt. Abbate’s family.”
Abbate’s wife received his Nevada State Police Medal of Valor. The accompanying proclamation read, “We will never forget his act of courage.”
“Sgt. Abbate was among our finest, a proud Nevada state trooper,” said George Togliatti, the director of the Nevada Department of Public Safety. “We are grateful for his family and friends for supporting him in his outstanding career and doing what we love. His dedication has made our community safer and will leave a legacy for generations to come.”
A procession from Palm South Jones Mortuary traveled down Interstate 15 to the 215 Beltway and U.S. 95 on the way to the church off Russell Road in Henderson.
At each highway overpass, law enforcement officers, community members and other first responders stood and saluted.
The salute was a sign of appreciation that won’t soon end, Winder promised.
“Don’t forget, it’s OK to tell your brothers and sisters in blue that you love them,” Winder said. “I will go first. Mike, I love you and I miss you, buddy.”