Allendale cop accused of allowing driver in Ridgewood crash to leave, taking blame himself

An Allendale police officer was charged with hindering apprehension after allegedly lending his personal vehicle to a driver involved in a crash so the latter could leave the scene, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said.

Prosecutors said Victor Bartoloma, 35, a Mahwah resident, responded to the scene of a crash in Ridgewood and allowed the driver to leave the scene. Bartoloma stayed behind and allegedly told a Ridgewood police officer that he had been driving the vehicle involved in the crash.

Surveillance video of the scene, however, showed that Bartoloma was not the driver and was not present at the time of the crash, which was further corroborated by an eyewitness, prosecutors said.

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Bartoloma was charged with second-degree hindering apprehension and has been suspended without pay. He was released pending an appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court.

Salary records show that Bartoloma has been a police officer since 2011.

A message left for Allendale's police chief was not immediately returned.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Allendale NJ police officer charged with hindering apprehension