Former Newark cop sentenced to five years for killing Garfield man on Garden State Parkway
A former Newark police officer received a five-year prison sentence on Wednesday for driving drunk and killing a man walking on the Garden State Parkway in 2021, then trying to cover up the incident by taking the victim’s body home with him in his car.
Louis Santiago, 26, of Bloomfield, pleaded guilty in Superior Court to reckless vehicular homicide, desecrating human remains, official misconduct and driving under the influence for his role in the death of Damian Dymka, 29, of Garfield, acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II said in a statement.
Santiago will serve five years without parole and then three years of post-release parole supervision. His father, Luis Santiago, who was previously a lieutenant in the Newark Police Department, received a sentence of two years’ probation for obstructing the administration of law for lying to the state police during the investigation.
A cousin named Albert Guzman was in the car with Santiago during the crash. He was admitted into the Pretrial Intervention diversionary program conditioned on a plea related to a conspiracy to hinder prosecution.
'It's our duty': Hundreds gather to remember Newark firefighters killed in ship fire
The younger Santiago was driving on the shoulder of the parkway going north at about 3 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2021, when he hit Dymka, 29. Authorities said that after hitting Dymka near Exit 151, Santiago and Guzman left the scene, returning multiple times and later loading the victim into the car and taking the body to Santiago's family home in Bloomfield. Neither called 911 or attempted to render aid to the victim, authorities said.
In November, Guzman and the younger Santiago's mother, Annette, were also charged with conspiracy to desecrate human remains, among other charges. A grand jury declined to indict Annette Santiago, and all charges against her were dropped, prosecutors said at the time.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, after striking Dymka, Santiago informed his mother of the situation. Santiago, his mother and Guzman then allegedly discussed what to do with the body.
"Put that body back where you hit it," Annette said, according to the affidavit of probable cause. "Put it on the floor."
During his indictment, prosecutors said the elder Santiago went to the scene of the crash and after a "significant delay" called 911. According to the affidavit, Louis Santiago, who said he had blood on his shirt, "expressed anger" that his father had informed police of the crash.
Authorities said the body was eventually returned to the scene and was found by state police in the back of the younger Santiago's car.
Prosecutors said Santiago deleted phone data, tampered with the crime scene, failed to call emergency aid and made false statements to law enforcement.
As a condition of these convictions, neither the former police officer nor his father, the former lieutenant, will ever be allowed to hold any office or public employment in the state of New Jersey.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Newark police officer sentenced for death of Garfield NJ man
