Batka, who joined the New York Police Department in January 2015, was scheduled to begin his shift with the Transit Borough Manhattan Task Force at 7 a.m., police said.

The victim, identified as 21-year-old Andrew Esquivel, was among a group of friends walking along a residential street when the officer, identified as Nicholas Batka, erratically drove down the street and hit the group of people shortly after 3 a.m., according to a police complaint.

An MIT student was killed and three other people were severely injured in Brooklyn, N.Y., Saturday night when an off-duty police officer allegedly plowed his SUV onto a sidewalk while intoxicated.


Two other victims — Sophia Tabchouri and James Balchunas — were critically injured but in stable condition, police said.

Tabchouri, 20, also attends MIT, according to a student directory and members of her sorority. Balchunas, 24, is listed on the school's website as a former football player.

A fourth victim, 23-year-old Divya Menezes, suffered severe trauma to both legs and her right arm, but was in stable condition, police said.

An official from MIT declined to comment on the accident Sunday. But those who knew Esquivel described him as a confident, driven man with the kind of mind you would expect to find at MIT. He studied computer science and was a rising senior, friends said.

"He would just be in his head, thinking about something, and then all of a sudden you would be like, 'How did you come up with that?' " said Harry Rein, a friend and fraternity brother who worked with Esquivel on two startups — one focused on online tutoring, and the other on "smart home" technology.

"He is just such an extraordinary thinker," said Rein, 22, who graduated this year.

Esquivel's family members could not be reached to comment. Esquivel wrote on his Facebook page that he was from California.


He made the top 14 in the MIT Hackathon in 2014 by creating a "multidimensional" project that made lamps glow and react to the sound of someone playing the guitar, according to an online resume.

"He knew how to get things done, and he also knew how to laugh about it," Rein said. "I just saw him rounding into a really, very successful human being."

Esquivel was a member of the wrestling team, and he was named the school's wrestling MVP in 2015 and 2014 rookie of the year, according to the team's website.

He was a two-time National Collegiate Wrestling Association National Qualifier and a NCWA Northeast Conference Finalist, according to the MIT wrestling team's website.

Another friend, Zac DelVecchio, 23, of Boston, described Esquivel as "one of the brightest people I have had the pleasure to know."

"He was the type of guy who could make even the most serious of work situations into a fun and exciting time," DelVecchio, who said Esquivel had worked for him as a developer, wrote in a statement.

"His contributions will always be a guiding star in what we do forward," he added. "I pray for him and his family in this dark time and know that there will be a light to come. Rest well, Drew."

As friends mourned Esquivel, those close to Tabchouri pledged their support to her.

Linda Kahangi, an executive director of the Alpha Phi sorority, said Tabchouri was a sister in the MIT chapter and a member of the class of 2018.


Alpha Phi members "are here to support her and her family as she recovers," Kahangi said in a statement.

Batka was charged after the crash with offenses including manslaughter in the second degree and operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

A witness, Jaminah King, 35, said she saw the vehicle speeding and swerving down the street. Then, she said, she heard the sound of the crash and saw the driver trying to reverse.

King said she ran across the street, screaming for help, and called 911. She said she saw several people badly injured.

The driver moved to the passenger seat and tried to exit the car, but another bystander held the door shut to keep the driver inside, King said.

When officers arrived at the scene, police said, Batka was slurring his speech, had bloodshot eyes, and there was an odor of alcohol in his breath.

Material from The New York Times was included in this report. Trisha Thadani can be reached at trisha.thadani@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @TrishaThadani