TAKEN FOR A RIDE

Off-Duty Cop Fatally Struck Pedestrian Then Drove the Body Around Town, Prosecutor Says

The New Jersey officer is accused of taking the bizarre action instead of making a 911 call.

An off-duty New Jersey police officer has been accused of running over and killing a pedestrian, loading the body into his car to drive it home, then returning to the scene with the dead man in the back seat. Louis Santiago, 25, allegedly struck Damian Dymka, 29, in the early hours of Nov. 1 on the Garden State Parkway. No 911 call was made by Santiago or his passenger, according to Essex County Prosecutor Theodore Stephens II. The pair allegedly returned to the scene several times before putting the victim in the car and driving to Santiago’s home where they discussed the best course of action with Santiago’s mom. Santiago is then said to have returned to the scene with the body in the car, and his dad, who is also a Newark cop, called 911. Dymka was found dead in the back seat, the prosecutor’s office said. Santiago faces several charges including reckless vehicular homicide and desecrating human remains.