Investigation is launched into Newark officer's conduct during pursuit

NEWARK - Authorities are probing the conduct of a city police officer who struck and seriously injured a suspect with his vehicle during a drug-related chase in the city’s South Ward today, police said.

The officer, only identified as a member of the Department’s Narcotics Enforcement Team, was apparently involved in the pursuit of a drug suspect near West Bgielow Street and Milford Avenue around 2:30 p.m., said Katherine Carter, spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

The suspect, who was not identified, was arrested and taken to University Hospital in Newark in "guarded condition" last night, Carter said. The extent of his injuries was not immediately known.

The officer was driving an unmarked police vehicle and the suspect was on foot when he was struck, according to Carter.

The Bureau of Professional Standards and Vehicular Homicide Unit, both part of the prosecutor’s office, and the New Jersey State Police launched an investigation into the incident last night, Carter said.

The probe will include an accident reenactment, Carter said

Carter also did not know what the suspect was charged with, only that he was the target of a drug investigation by the Department’s narcotics squad.

Department officials did not respond to requests for comment last night. The Prosecutor’s Office was not informed of the incident until 7 p.m., nearly four hours after the crash occurred, Carter said.

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