BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Mary Wyant stood on the corner of Jersey Street and Prospect Avenue on Buffalo’s West Side — the same place where her parked car was hit by a county-owned vehicle more than a year ago.
Erie County Sheriff’s Chief of Narcotics Daniel "D.J." Granville is accused of being behind the wheel.
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"I'm glad that, you know, there has been some movement in this case, after being pretty stale for the last year," Wyant said.
She’s one of seven car owners whose vehicles were damaged in the April 2024 crash. Surveillance video shows Granville's SUV hitting two of the parked cars. But police records later revealed all seven were struck in the late-night crash.
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Wyant was asleep when it happened. She discovered the damage the next day.
“The street was littered with car parts and plastic,” she recalled. “I just felt taken aback. Like — how did this happen? What’s going on?”
After filing a claim, Wyant said her insurance company — not police — told her who the driver was.
“[Police] said [Granville] was uninsured. No wonder there was this delay and everything. It very much immediately felt like a cover-up,” she said.
Despite filing a citizen’s complaint with the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, Wyant said she only received a phone call and an email. After that, nothing.
“From mid-May until Buffalo Police Internal Affairs contacted me, it was just silence," Wyant said.
As of now, the crash has cost Erie County taxpayers nearly $60,000. That includes multiple settlements paid to car owners — though some, like Wyant, say they’ve received nothing.
She was left with a $500 deductible and a $30 monthly increase to her insurance premium.
Granville was placed on administrative leave last month. He has since received three traffic citations from Buffalo Police.
Five BPD officers who responded to the scene that night are also now on administrative leave.
READ MORE: Erie County Sheriff's Office Chief DJ Granville placed on leave amid ongoing investigation
The Buffalo Police Internal Affairs Division and the Niagara County District Attorney’s Office are conducting parallel investigations — one into how the incident was handled by responding officers, and another into Granville himself.
"I think it is a good first step. Just feels so delayed, and I think more should come of it," Wyant said. "You know, you have to compensate the victims who are still unpaid, and then you have to, like I said, change the system. You have to ensure that this isn't going to happen again."
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