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Damian Z. Dymka

Age : 29

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 11/01/2021

Location : Garden State Parkway northbound near Exit 151

City : Bloomfield

County : Essex

State : New Jersey

Agency : Newark Police Department

Officer(s) :Louis A. Santiago

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Pedestrian bystander killed by intoxicated officer causing crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/01/2021, shortly before 3:00 a.m., off-duty Newark Police Officer Louis A. Santiago was driving a 2005 Honda Accord northbound on the Garden State Parkway near Exit 151 in Bloomfield. Santiago had been drinking at a bar after completing his Halloween day shift and was later determined to have been driving while intoxicated. His cousin, Albert Guzman, was riding with him. Prosecutors said Santiago failed to maintain his lane, drove onto the right shoulder and struck 29-year-old Damian Z. Dymka, who was walking along the shoulder.
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Dymka had spent Halloween night with friends at Club Feathers in River Edge. He left the club at approximately 1:00 a.m. in an Uber with a friend after accidentally leaving his cellphone behind. He subsequently ended up at a friend's home in Bloomfield; exactly how he came to be walking on the Garden State Parkway shortly before 3:00 a.m. was never established publicly.
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Instead of immediately calling 911 or rendering aid, prosecutors said Santiago and Guzman left Dymka on the roadway and drove away, then returned to the scene multiple times. Santiago eventually placed Dymka in the Honda and removed him from the crash scene. He and Guzman drove to the Santiago family home in Bloomfield, where Santiago's parents were located.
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The subsequent grand-jury investigation produced substantially more evidence of what occurred after Dymka was struck. Prosecutors alleged Santiago deleted data from his phone, tampered with the crash scene, failed to summon emergency medical assistance and made false statements to investigators. His father, Newark Police Lt. Luis Santiago, was accused of providing false information to police and failing to properly summon emergency aid.
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After a significant delay, Lt. Santiago called 911. Officer Santiago returned to the crash scene with Dymka in the car shortly before New Jersey State Police arrived. Dymka was ultimately found in the back seat. He had suffered fatal blunt-force injuries.
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Dymka was a registered nurse and nursing supervisor at Preakness Healthcare Center in Wayne who cared for elderly and infirm patients, including during the COVID-19 pandemic. He and his boyfriend, Rosemberg Ochoa, were preparing to pursue bachelor of science degrees so they could become travel nurses and explore the country together. Dymka was scheduled to begin his online classes on November 1—the day he was killed. Friends also remembered him as an artist, an enthusiastic cat dad and a funny, energetic person who readily cared for others.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
1 Fatality.
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EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Dymka's friends questioned whether he might have survived had Santiago immediately called 911 and rendered aid rather than removing him from the scene. His boyfriend described Dymka as someone who would put himself in danger to help a person he loved. At Santiago's sentencing, Dymka's father, Andrzej Dymka, asked the court for accountability but also told Santiago that he forgave him and hoped he would change his life.
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DISPOSITION:
Louis A. Santiago pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless vehicular homicide, second-degree disturbing human remains, official misconduct and driving while intoxicated. On 08/02/2023, Superior Court Judge Ronald D. Wigler sentenced him to five years in state prison without parole, followed by three years of post-release parole supervision. The five-year sentences imposed for vehicular homicide and disturbing human remains run concurrently. Santiago was no longer a Newark police officer by sentencing.
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Santiago’s father, Newark Police Lt. Luis Santiago, also became a criminal defendant because of his actions following Dymka’s death. Prosecutors said the lieutenant learned that his son might have struck someone but failed to contact 911 for approximately 40 minutes. He went to the crash location and ultimately called 911 only after arriving there and discovering that his son was not present. When New Jersey State Police arrived after the younger Santiago returned with Dymka in the back seat of the Honda, Lt. Santiago made misleading statements to the responding trooper.
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A grand jury indicted Lt. Santiago for hindering prosecution by providing false information to police and official misconduct for failing to properly summon emergency aid for an injured person. He ultimately pleaded guilty to obstructing the administration of law. On 08/02/2023, the same day his son was sent to prison, Lt. Santiago was sentenced to two years of probation. He had left the Newark Police Department by the time of sentencing.
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At sentencing, Lt. Santiago acknowledged that he should have immediately contacted Bloomfield Police, detained his son and nephew and called the proper authorities. His son’s cousin and passenger, Albert Guzman, entered the Pre-Trial Intervention diversionary program conditioned on a plea related to conspiracy to hinder prosecution.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Louis A. Santiago was an off-duty Newark police officer when, while intoxicated, he drove onto the Garden State Parkway shoulder and fatally struck Damian Dymka. Rather than immediately summon emergency medical assistance, prosecutors established that Santiago left the scene, returned multiple times, removed Dymka from the crash location, transported him in his car, deleted phone data, tampered with the crash scene and made false statements to investigators. He ultimately pleaded guilty to crimes including vehicular homicide and official misconduct and was sentenced to five years in prison without parole.
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His father, Lt. Luis Santiago, was a supervisory Newark police officer who became directly involved in the aftermath. He was indicted for hindering prosecution and official misconduct after prosecutors alleged that he failed to properly summon emergency assistance and provided false information to police. He ultimately pleaded guilty to obstructing the administration of law, received two years of probation and left the Newark Police Department.
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LITIGATION:
The criminal prosecution resulted in Santiago's guilty plea and five-year prison sentence. No separate wrongful-death judgment against Santiago or the City of Newark was located.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://njecpo.org/two-newark-police-officers-indicted-in-death-of-pedestrian/
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/former-newark-police-officer-luis-santiago-sentenced-to-5-years-for-dwi-death/
https://www.yahoo.com/news/cop-fatally-struck-nurse-actions-120208631.html
https://abc7ny.com/officer-arrested-pedestrian-killed-louis-santiago-damian-dymka/11270867/
https://www.rlsmedia.com/article/two-newark-police-officers-indicted-vehicle-homicide-desecrating-human-remains
https://www.rlsmedia.com/node/53234
https://www.rlsmedia.com/node/53245
https://www.theobserver.com/2021/11/24/newark-cop-son-of-a-lt-charged-with-reckless-vehicular-homicide-ecpo/
https://patch.com/new-jersey/newarknj/ex-nj-cop-sentenced-killing-nurse-while-drunk-driving-prosecutor
GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/damian-dymka--justice