Police ID man struck by Hampton police cruiser; don't release name of officer

HAMPTON — New Hampshire State Police have released the identity of the Massachusetts man who was struck Sunday, July 23, by a police cruiser at Hampton Beach.

Orlyn Medina Mercedes, 35, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, was hit on Ashworth Avenue Sunday evening and transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital, state police said. The crash occurred at about 7:15 p.m. near the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and Nudd Avenue.

State police have not shared the severity of Mercedes’ injuries, and state police spokesperson Amber Lagace said there was no new information on his status Thursday morning. A representative from Portsmouth Regional Hospital did not immediately respond to an inquiry about Mercedes' condition.

The crash is being investigated by state police, whose Collision Analysis Reconstruction Unit is looking into what caused the accident. Hampton Police Chief Alex Reno said he turned the case over to the state agency to avoid a conflict of interest.

The Hampton police officer involved in the crash has not been named, and was not injured, according to state police. The officer was responding to an emergency medical call on Ashworth Avenue at the time of the incident, Reno said earlier this week.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Police ID man struck by Hampton cruiser at Hampton Beach