Serious crash during traffic stop hospitalizes NJ State Trooper, reports say

🚨 State Police officers had pulled over a car on the AC Expressway

🚨 An SUV on the Expressway hit a police vehicle on the shoulder

🚨 A State Trooper was flown to the hospital with serious injuries, reports say

HAMILTON (Atlantic) — A State Trooper had to be flown by helicopter to a hospital after a serious crash during a traffic stop late Friday night, according to published reports.

Two NJ State Police officers, each with their own police vehicle, had pulled over a car on the eastbound side of the Atlantic City Expressway in Hamilton around 11:30 p.m., NJ.com reported.

The stopped vehicle, a Chevy Cobalt, was parked on the left shoulder with the police vehicles behind it, CBS News Philadelphia reported. It was not clear exactly where the crash took place. Large sections of the AC Expressway through Hamilton have smaller shoulders on the left side than on the right.

Suddenly, a Hyundai Tuscon driving in the left lane hit one of the police vehicles on its rear passenger side. The SUV had not shifted over into another lane as required by the state's Move Over law, the reports said.

The Tuscon then spun into the other stopped police vehicle, which hit one of the troopers who was standing nearby. He was forcefully flung onto the grass on the median and seriously injured.

The second police vehicle was also spun into the rear of the stopped Chevy Cobalt.

Both the driver of the SUV and a passenger sitting in its front seat were injured as well. They were taken to a nearby hospital.

State Police did not respond to a request for an update Sunday.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom