Incident: Sunday, September 20, 2026, Saddle Brook Township, New Jersey. Reported by the New Jersey State Police and the Saddle Brook Township Police Department the same day. Arrest and charges announced by the New Jersey State Police on the night of Monday, September 21. Court documents describing the officer’s injuries were reported Tuesday, September 22.
A Saddle Brook Township police officer was struck by a hit-and-run driver on Interstate 80 early Sunday morning and was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.
State police said the officer had stopped a gray Nissan Maxima and was standing outside the patrol vehicle in the eastbound deceleration lane near milepost 62.4 at about 4:34 a.m.
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A vehicle traveling east struck the officer and continued without stopping.
The officer was transported to an area hospital. State police described the injuries as serious and said the officer was in stable condition. Saddle Brook Township Police Chief John A. Zotollo Jr. said Monday that the officer remained in intensive care, that the condition was classified as critical but stable, and that hospital officials had verified there were no life-threatening injuries at that time.
Court documents obtained by NorthJersey.com state the officer was thrown about 50 feet and sustained a fractured skull, a brain bleed and a broken right arm.
Zotollo said the officer faces a long road to recovery and will require additional surgeries once the condition improves.
Three people were inside the Nissan that had been pulled over. None of them was hurt.
State police announced Monday night that a 20-year-old Maywood woman, Katelyn M. Gallardo, had been arrested and charged in the crash.
Detectives from the Saddle Brook Township Police Department and the New Jersey State Police identified the striking vehicle as a white 2024 Honda Accord, state police said. Investigators traced the vehicle to its owner and found it at a residence in Maywood with damage consistent with the crash. Court documents obtained by NorthJersey.com state that surveillance footage identified the vehicle and that it had extensive damage to the passenger side and front end and a shattered windshield.
Gallardo 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, state police said. She was being held at the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing. The outcome of that hearing has not been reported.
According to court documents obtained by NorthJersey.com, Gallardo told law enforcement she was driving the vehicle and knew she had hit something and sustained damage. Police said she also admitted to drinking alcohol the night of the crash.
The New Jersey State Police Troop B Totowa Station is investigating. State police said the investigation remains active.
The officer’s rank and assignment have not been released.
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