What to Know
- A corrections officer was killed in a crash with a vehicle that was fleeing police in Newark, officials say
- Correctional Police Officer Omar Martin, who worked at Northern State Prison, died in the crash
- The vehicle fleeing police hit his Ford Mustang and sent it flying into a utility pole, officials say
A New Jersey corrections officer died early Sunday when a vehicle that was fleeing police crashed into his car, officials said.
Correctional Police Officer Omar Martin was killed in the crash in Newark, according to the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association Local 105. He worked at Northern State Prison. Martin's brother confirmed his death.
A Hillside Police Department officer was pursuing a Nissan Altima with three men inside around 2:37 a.m. when the Nissan hit Martin's Ford Mustang near Bragaw Avenue and Aldine Street, according to the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, which is investigating the crash.
The impact sent the Mustang flying into a utility pole, trapping Martin inside, the office said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two of the men inside the Nissan Altima were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, according to the attorney general's office. The third man was taken to the Hillside Police Department.
The police chase began in Hillside, officials said.
