NJ Cop Charged With Killing Pedestrian, Driving Away with the Body, Then Driving Back With Victim in Tow

A Newark, New Jersey police officer was charged with vehicular homicide and desecrating human remains on Wednesday, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Officer Louis Santiago, 25, was off-duty and driving northbound on the Garden State Parkway around 3 a.m. on November 1st. He was allegedly driving on the shoulder of the road when he hit 29-year-old nurse Damian Dymka, killing him.

Santiago and his passenger, Albert Guzman, reportedly left the scene but returned multiple times. Authorities said neither Santiago nor Guzman called 9-1-1 or attempted to give aid to the victim. Eventually, they put Dymka’s body in the car.

“Santiago then took the body to his home in Bloomfield where he, his mother and Guzman allegedly discussed what to do with the body,” said the prosecutor’s office.

The body was later returned to the scene. Santiago’s father, who is a lieutenant with the Newark Police Department, called the police and said his son had been in an accident. When police arrived, Dymka’s body was placed in the back seat of the Santiago’s vehicle.

Here’s how news reports initially described the incident:

A Garfield man was walking on the shoulder of the Garden State Parkway early Monday when he was struck by a vehicle, causing him to suffer fatal injuries.

Damian Dymka, 29, was hit by a northbound car at approximately 4:30 a.m. near milepost 151 in Bloomfield, State Police said. The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation handled by the troopers. It was unclear whether the person would face any charges.

Guzman and Santiago’s mother were “charged with conspiracy to desecrate human remains, hindering apprehension, and conspiracy to hinder apprehension and tampering with physical evidence.”