Louis Santiago Bloomfield NJ man with Newark Police charged after fatally striking nurse and driving with the man’s body to his mother’s house before returning it to the scene.
A Newark Police Officer has been 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, officials announced on Wednesday.
Louis Santiago, 25, of Bloomfield, NJ, was arrested and charged with reckless vehicular homicide, desecrating human remains and other charges after he hit and killed 29-year-old nurse, Damian Dymka, of Garfield, earlier this month along the Garden State Parkway, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.
After having struck the victim, Santiago according to officials drove with the man’s lifeless body to his mother’s house where he sought ‘advise’ before returning to the scene.
Also booked was Santiago’s mother, Annette Santiago, 53, along with passenger Albert Guzman, 25. The two were charged with conspiracy to desecrate human remains, hindering apprehension and conspiracy to hinder apprehension and tamper with physical evidence.
On Monday, Nov. 1 around 3 a.m. Santiago — who was off duty at the time — was driving a 2005 Honda Accord northbound on the Parkway near exit 151 when he drifted from his lane into the right shoulder and struck and killed Dymka, prosecutors said.
Neither Santiago or his passenger called 911 or sought to assist victim
Neither Santiago nor Guzman called 911 or tried to assist the man, officials said, but returned to the scene multiple times before Santiago loaded Dymka’s body into his car. The two drove to Santiago’s home in Bloomfield, where they ‘discussed’ what to do with the body NJ reported.
Santiago then returned to the scene as his father — a lieutenant in the Newark Police Department — called 911 and reported that his son was in an accident. Police arrived and found Dymka’s dead body in the back seat of the Accord.
In addition to vehicular homicide, Santiago’s additionally 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.
All three have been released with conditions, according to the Prosecutor’s office.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Dymka was a registered nurse and supervisor who worked nights at Preakness Healthcare Center in Wayne for the past several years.
