Newark cop hospitalized after being dragged by stolen SUV

NEWARK — A police officer who approached two men in an SUV in Newark was injured Wednesday when the driver sped off and dragged the officer for a short time, authorities said.

The incident occurred around 9 a.m., when the city officer saw an SUV that he considered suspicious, so he walked toward the vehicle.

The SUV's driver then accelerated and briefly dragged the officer before driving away. The vehicle crashed a few blocks away, and both men left the SUV and ran off into a nearby cemetery.

Authorities later learned that the SUV had been stolen.

The officer, whose name was not released, suffered knee, neck and chest injuries. He was being treated at a hospital, but further details on his condition were not disclosed.

The two men in the SUV remain at large, authorities said.