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Cop discovers ups and downs of early retirement

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Cop discovers ups and downs of early retirement

A 47-year-old former New York Police Department lieutenant appears to be on a roll(ercoaster) with early retirement. 

New York city officials say they are now investigating John Bruzzese, an officer who retired in 2008 after being injured in an elevator accident, one that he said left him unable to perform daily tasks, the New York Daily News reported Saturday. The officer also claimed panic attacks and fear of crowds stemming from the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York City.

Before receiving a pension of at least $44,000 a year through his NYPD disability pension and $48,872 a year in Social Security disability insurance, Mr. Bruzzese wrote in an application for Social Security disability insurance in 2010: “I cannot work. I have difficulty carrying (stuff) things, physical labor causes me great pain. I can't play sports anymore, I can't stand or sit for long periods of time, I can't bend over without great pain, I can’t carry my children. I don’t play any sports… At times I have someone help me put on, take off and tie my shoes. I bathe myself but don’t wash lower legs with the wash cloth.”

But photos from a 2015 family trip to an amusement park provided to the New York Daily News by a source show Mr. Bruzzese smiling with hands in the air aboard at least five high-flying rollercoasters. 

A neighbor has also claimed to newspaper reporters that he has seen Mr. Bruzzese playing basketball outside of him home, according to the newspaper.

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