Photo: Essex County Prosecutor's Office
A police officer from New Jersey is facing multiple charges for allegedly hitting a killing a pedestrian who was walking along the shoulder of a highway.
Louis Santiago, 25, was driving on the Garden State Parkway when he veered onto the shoulder, striking 29-year-old Damian Dymka. Authorities said that Santiago and 25-year-old Albert Guzman, who was a passenger in the car, didn't call 911 or attempt to render aid to Dymka. Instead, Santiago put the victim's body in his backseat and drove to his house.
After discussing what to do with the body with his mother, Santiago returned to the scene of the crash while his father called 911 to report that his son was involved in an accident.
When officers arrived at the scene, Dymka's body was still in the backseat of Santiago's car. He was taken into custody and charged with reckless vehicular homicide, desecrating/moving human remains, leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, endangering an injured victim, tampering with physical evidence, hindering one's own apprehension, conspiracy to hinder prosecution, obstructing the administration of law and two counts of official misconduct.
Guzman and Santiago's mother were also charged with conspiracy to desecrate human remains, hindering apprehension, and conspiracy to hinder apprehension and tamper with physical evidence.