NJ officer thrown 50 feet in Route 80 hit-and-run, driver charged

🚨A Saddle Brook police officer was seriously injured during a traffic stop on Route 80

🚨Investigators tracked the Honda Accord and arrested a 22-year-old Maywood woman

🚨 Nicholas Genuario remains critical but stable and faces more surgeries

SADDLE BROOK — A New Jersey police officer was thrown 50 feet when a hit-and-run driver struck him during a traffic stop on Route 80, leaving him with a skull fracture, brain bleed and broken arm, according to court documents.

Saddle Brook police officer Nicholas Genuario was standing outside a gray Nissan Maxima around 4:30 a.m. in the local lanes of Route 80 east near Exit 62, by the Garden State Parkway, speaking with the driver when he and the stopped car were struck by a vehicle that did not stop. State police identify the driver as Katelyn Gallardo, 22, from Maywood.

According to the affidavit in the case obtained by New Jersey 101.5, Gallardo was driving a white Honda Accord that struck Genuario with such force that he suffered serious injuries. Investigators used surveillance footage to track the Honda into Saddle Brook and Maywood, where it was parked. The Accord had extensive damage to its front end, including a shattered windshield.

Investigators tracked the damaged Honda after the crash

Gallardo admitted to detectives that she knew she had hit something, according to the affidavit. She was charged with second-degree aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, third-degree leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury, and third-degree endangering an injured victim.

Gallardo also admitted to drinking alcohol earlier in the night, according to the affidavit, but does not face any alcohol-related charges.

Saddle Brook officer faces more surgeries during recovery.

Genuario remains in critical but stable condition and will need more surgeries, according to Saddle Brook Police Chief John A. Zotollo. However, his injuries are no longer considered life-threatening.

"Genuario is a vital part of our law enforcement family and is known for his commitment and character. He's well liked and respected within our department and the community of Saddle Brook as well. We ask everyone to keep Nicholas in your thoughts and prayers as he faces the road to recovery ahead."

The officer's family thanked officers and the community for their "love, strength and support" and said they were relieved an arrest had been made.

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