A Jersey City police officer is being treated for multiple burns he sustained off duty while assisting those involved in a two-vehicle crash in Kearny after a driver hit a road flare and cause a car fire, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
At approximately 11:32 p.m. on Thursday, two vehicles were involved in a collision in the area of 1249 Newark Jersey City Turnpike, Suarez said in a statement.
Multiple vehicles stopped to assist the motorists involved in the collision, including an off-duty Jersey City police officer. A 2007 white Mercedes passed road flares in the area of the collision and crashed, causing a parked vehicle to catch fire.
The officer suffered multiple burns and was transported to Jersey City Medical Center for treatment. The driver of the Mercedes, a 29-year-old East Orange woman, is being treated at University Hospital for a serious leg injury.
A third individual suffered a laceration to the arm and was treated at the scene by emergency medical services.
While the HCPO did not identify the officer, the New Jersey Honor Legion, a non-profit group who recognizes acts of heroism and valor in law enforcement, identified him as Edmund Redmond in a social media post.
Redmond is a 22-year veteran of the force who was promoted to detective in 2017, according to public records. The also alleged that the driver who caused the car fire is suspected of being intoxicated.
“While tending to the vehicles at this scene, a suspected DWI motorist entered the scene, striking the vehicles and the ROAD FLARES….igniting a FIRE!! 🔥,” they wrote.
“In the incomprehensible chaos that ensued, P.O. Redmond sustained SECOND DEGREE burns throughout his body.”
The Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and the Kearny Police Department are actively investigating this incident.
Anyone with information is asked to the HCPO at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip at: https://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/.
All information will be kept confidential.
