This is the ‘highly motivated’ rookie cop whose raunchy lap dances at a New York Police Department Christmas party have thrown the department into turmoil.
Glamorous Vera Mekuli, 26, gave at least two fellow officers a steamy time during the 44th precinct’s party last week.
Already Lt. Nick McGarry has been demoted to the transit bureau for allowing the junior officer to grind on him.
But Mekuli might escape disciplinary action. ‘She shouldn’t be disciplined at all,’ said one detective close to both her and McGarry.
‘She shouldn’t be disciplined at all. She’s a rookie and was trying to get cool points,’ said one detective who knows both her and Lt. <cGarry
Vera Mekuli’s official NYPD photo. She has worked for the department in The Bronx since February ad earns $42,500 a year
‘She’s a rookie and was trying to get cool points. Nick should have known better, being in a position of power.’
Mekuli only joined the force in February. She earns $42,500 a year. Previously she has worked as a real estate agent in The Bronx.
DailyMail.com’s attempts to reach Mekuli were unsuccessful, but a relative at the apartment block where she is listed said: ‘She doesn’t live here anymore.’ He would not give her current address.
Mekuli describes herself as a ‘highly motivated and determined individual,’ on her LinkedIn page.
‘I tend to go after what I want and I don’t stop until I get it,’ she added. ‘If I am to fail. I pick myself up and try again!
On LinkedIn, Mekuli said: ‘I tend to go after what I want and I don’t stop until I get it’
‘Success does not come without failure. I’ve learned at a very young age that success/wealth/opportunities isn’t just given or handed to you, it is earned; earned by hard work and time you put in.
‘I have tackled every task, every obstacle, that came before me. I like helping others and I always put others before myself.
She then quotes Britain’s wartime prime minister Winston Churchill. ‘Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.’
Mekuli is a native of The Bronx. She went to school at the David A. Stein Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy and then went to John Jay College to study criminal justice and police science, graduating in 2018.
The party was held at Rory Dolan’s, an Irish bar in Yonkers, New York, just north of The Bronx on Thursday. Admission was $75 with the promise of a DJ and open bar.
Footage from the event showed Mekuli grinding her backside on McGarry’s lap as he sits in a chair and holds onto her thighs.
Lt. Nick McGarry seemed to be enjoying himself as he got his raunchy lap dance from his underling, Police Officer Vera Mekuli
McGarry didn’t look so happy on Tuesday when he was spotted outside his home in New Windsor, New York
McGarry, left, walked his French Bulldog wearing a long jacket, dark pants and socks and sandals, as his wife, Melissa, right, sported a sweater with dark pants and boots as she loaded a Target bag into her car
In another video, the rookie cop turns around to face McGarry and straddles the 44th precinct commander as he grabs her by the waist.
NYPD brass wasted no time in disciplining McGarry, who has been with the NYPD since 2010.
He was reportedly reassigned to serve in Transit District 12 in the Bronx after the tawdry video surfaced .
On Tuesday morning, McGarry was pictured taking his French Bulldog for a walk around his suburban house, wearing a long black jacket and socks with sandals, as his wife, Melissa, wearing just a sweater, dark pants and boots, loaded a Target bag into the car before driving away.
In the video, Mekuli appears carefree as she throws her hands in the air and dances on her superior to cheers from the crowd.
One onlooker, meanwhile, yelled ‘Oh my God,’ and another appeared to hand the lieutenant a wad of cash.
The 44th Precinct’s annual holiday party charged $75 per person, and had a DJ and open bar
In a different scene, she grinds on a different man, who is bent over and facing the floor.
The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.
But sources have said McGarry has been transferred to Transit District 12 in wake of the scandal.
An unnamed source told the New York Post in the aftermath that he ‘knows he f***** up.’
‘Messing with your subordinate is a no-no on the job,’ the source said, adding that the rookie cop ‘doesn’t know any better because she just came on the job.
‘I can’t even tell you how many times they tell incoming supervisors that,’ he said, noting: ‘It sets a bad precedent.’
McGarry has been an officer with the NYPD since July 2010 and has served as a lieutenant at the 44th Precinct since April, according to 50-a.org, a website that compiles public records to make profiles of individual officers.
He made $188,000 last year, the website states, and has been named in multiple lawsuits, resulting in settlements totaling at least $130,000, though his direct role in the allegations is unclear.
Lt. Nick McGarry was filmed smiling as a scantily-clad rookie officer gyrated on him
Lt. Nick McGarry, pictured, has now been reassigned to Transit District 12
Vera Mekuli gave a second man an equally raunchy lap dance during the 44th precinct’s holiday party in Yonkers
The NYPD found that the the complaints were ‘unsubstantiated.’
McGarry apparently worked in the nearby 42nd precinct in 2017, when he was admitted to the Sergeant’s Benevolent Association, before taking the helm at the 44th precinct .
The Police Benevolent Association, the largest NYC cop union, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com.
The second man who received a lap dance from Mekuli has not been identified, although he is believed to be a cop
A source told the New York Post McGarry, left, knew he ‘f***** up.’ His wife Melissa lunged at a reporter outside of their house following the news of his risque dance
Meanwhile, a second wild video exclusively obtained by DailyMail.com shows the rookie NYPD cop grinding up against another coworker at the holiday party.
She twerked against the male coworker’s backside wearing a checkered mini-skirt and knee-high boots with her hand in the air as he bent over while dancing.
It is unclear who the man is, but after the two danced, he got up, revealing his ugly Christmas sweater as he sipped on a drink.
He was also spotted standing behind the lieutenant as the female cop gave him a lap dance.
The coworker was seen in the background when the rookie cop gave Lt. Nick McGarry a lap dance at the last Thursday’s party
But following the news of Mekuli’s raunchy encounter with her boss, her father said she has been crying over the ordeal – and he now plans to sue.
The rookie’s dad told the Post on Monday that his daughter told him: ‘Daddy, I made some mistake. I’m very embarrassed about what I did. I embarrassed you and my family.’
The father said his daughter is ‘frustrated’ over the incident.
‘She cried and cried,’ he said. ‘She is young. She doesn’t know how but he is married, the lieutenant. He should know better.
‘I am going to sue them.’
There was further drama on Monday when Melissa McGarry yelled at a New York Post reporter and photographer outside the house in New Windsor, screaming ‘F*** you!’ at them as she was restrained by her husband.
‘It’s not worth it, get back in the car,’ the lieutenant told his fuming wife as she continued her rant.
Melissa McGarry told the press members: ‘There are other things to worry about in this world!’
As the couple drove away, Melissa McGarry took her hands off the steering wheel and flipped the bird to the reporter with both hands, screaming: ‘F*** you! F*** you! F*** you!’
According to her social media page, Melissa McGarry is a leasing assistant and resident events coordinator at Water Club Luxury Living, an apartment and condominium complex in Poughkeepsie, New York.
Phone calls to a number listed under her name went unanswered.