A 37-year-old pedestrian died early Sunday after being struck by a vehicle driven by an off-duty Newark police officer near Bloomfield Avenue and North 6th Street, authorities said. The victim, identified as Sequndo Reyes Lligun, was rushed to a nearby hospital but could not be saved. The officer stayed at the scene and is cooperating with investigators, who say he showed no signs of impairment.
According to information released by Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II and Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda, the collision happened at approximately 2:06 a.m. Sunday near the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue and North 6th Street, as reported by rlsmedia.com. Lligun was rushed to University Hospital, where medical personnel pronounced him dead at 2:36 a.m. His address was not immediately available, according to the same report.
Officer Cooperating, No Signs of Impairment
The driver involved was an off-duty Newark police officer who remained at the scene following the collision, per the outlet's reporting. Officials said the officer displayed no signs of impairment and is cooperating with investigators as the Essex County Prosecutor's Office continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deadly crash. DailyVoice.com also reported on the crash Sunday, citing the same officials.
No further details about how the crash unfolded, including the pedestrian's movements or the officer's speed, have been released. No charges, citations or disciplinary findings have been announced in connection with the case as the investigation continues.
Part of a Troubling Pattern for Off-Duty Officers
Newark's case is not the only recent instance in the region of an off-duty officer's vehicle killing a pedestrian. In Camden, an off-duty Camden County Police Department officer struck and killed 19-year-old Angel Saravia-Estrada on September 1 while traveling west on Admiral Wilson Boulevard near 16th Street at 12:50 a.m., according to nj.com. Saravia-Estrada died of his injuries at an area hospital at 1:17 a.m. after the officer and an on-duty Delaware River Port Authority officer stopped to help before emergency responders arrived.
That Camden crash was investigated by fellow officers from the Camden County Police Department and the Camden County Prosecutor's Office Crash Response Investigation Team, the Inquirer reported. Further north, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced this week that her office's Office of Special Investigation would not pursue criminal charges against an off-duty NYPD officer who struck and killed pedestrian William Huertas on Route 303 in Orangeburg on December 13, 2025. Investigators in that case found no evidence the officer was speeding, distracted, impaired or otherwise driving dangerously, according to lohud.com.
Statewide Pedestrian Deaths at a Decades-High
The Newark crash also lands amid a sharp rise in pedestrian fatalities across New Jersey. The state recorded 221 pedestrian deaths in traffic crashes in 2024, up from 171 the year before, marking the highest total since 1988, according to a report from Patch. New Jersey saw 650 fatal traffic crashes and 687 total traffic deaths that year, a 13.4 percent increase in deaths from 2023.
Drivers tested positive for alcohol, marijuana or other drugs in 31 percent of New Jersey crashes where tests were obtained in 2023, per the same report. There is no indication in the Newark case that drugs or alcohol were a factor, as authorities have said the officer showed no signs of impairment.
