According to the court documents, the 25-year-old police officer is now charged with striking a pedestrian, leaving the scene with the victim’s body and then bringing back the body to the scene of the initial crash. Authorities said the cop was arrested on Wednesday and charged with reckless vehicular homicide, desecrating human remains and other charges after he hit and killed 29-year-old nurse earlier this month.
After he struck the victim, the 25-year-old police officer from New Jersey, Louis Santiago, drove with the man’s, Damian Dymka, lifeless body to his mother’s house where he sought advise before returning to the scene, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
The suspect’s 53-year-old mother, Annette Santiago, and the 25-year-old passenger Albert Guzman, were also charged with conspiracy to desecrate human remains, hindering apprehension and conspiracy to hinder apprehension and tamper with physical evidence.
This unfortunate accident occurred around 3:15 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 1. Authorities said the suspect was driving Honda Accord northbound on the Parkway near exit 151 when he drifted from his lane into the right shoulder and struck and killed the 29-year-old victim. The police officer was off duty at the time, authorities said.
Both the driver and the passenger didn’t called the police. They returned to the scene multiple times before they loaded the victim’s body into his car and drove to Santiago’s home where they discussed what to do with the body, according to reports.
The 25-year-old police officer then returned to the scene because his father reported that his son was in an accident. The responding officers found the victim’s dead body in the back seat of the Accord. Santiago’s father is a lieutenant in the police department, investigators said.
Prosecutors said the 25-year-old police officer is also charged with leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death, endangering an injured victim, desecrating/moving human remains, hindering one’s own apprehension, conspiracy to hinder prosecution, tampering with physical evidence, obstructing the administration of law, and two counts of official misconduct.
This incident remains under investigation. This is a developing story and it will be updated as new information become available.
Featured Image – Damian Z. Dymka