‘Tough’ vic laughs way out of hosp

THE L0WLIFE AND THE HERO

THE YONKERS cop who was shot on Monday night is known for being a proud, hardworking member of the force who finds humor in the toughest of situations.

A day after a bullet passed through her chin, Officer Kayla Maher, 26, was released from Jacobi Medical Center — and snapping one-liners, officials said.

“Kayla Maher is in the hospital and she is recovering from her injuries,” Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano said at a press conference early Tuesday. “I’m happy to report that she is in remarkably good spirits. She was very light-hearted, and actually told us a lot of jokes.”

By Tuesday afternoon, Maher walked out of the hospital with a line of her fellow officers cheering her on.

Police sources said Frank Valencia, 18, shot Maher shortly after 8 p.m. on Monday when she and her partner responded to a call to check on a car on Ridge Drive and Marshall Road. Valencia — who was inside the car — opened fire when the two officers approached, police sources said.

Spano said that Maher was the first Yonkers officer to be shot in 30 years.

Maher is assigned to the Yonkers Police Department's 3rd Precinct. She is the daughter of retired NYPD Officer Susan Barry, who was assigned to the 52nd Precinct in the Bronx and the Central Park Precinct.

Nick Molinini, 55, the owner of John's Pizzeria in Yonkers, said he has known Maher since she was a kid.

She worked for him as a delivery driver while she pursued a history degree at Dominican College. She considered becoming a history teacher but ultimately decided to become a cop like her mom, he said.

“She went for it, she was really all about the job,” he said.

After she joined the force, Maher and her partner would occasionally stop by the pizzeria for a slice of Sicilian.

“It made me proud, seeing her come in here like that with her uniform on,” he said.

“She didn’t have to say a word, it was written all over her face, I could see she loved what she was doing. Her mom was very proud of her too.”