An off-duty Saddle Brook police captain was struck by his own father's car Saturday night after he ran outside to stop two men trying to steal it, leaving him with a right leg injury before the suspects sped off into the darkness.
Captain Spotted Flashlights Across the Street
The captain lives across the street from his father in Saddle Brook, and at about 11:20 p.m. he noticed two people with flashlights moving around his father's driveway, according to nj.com. Saddle Brook Police Chief John A. Zotollo Jr. said the captain spotted the pair in his father's driveway and quickly called 911 to report an attempted theft, according to the seed reporting from Daily Voice. The vehicle targeted was his father's gray 2011 Infiniti G37, per that same report.
Rather than wait for backup, the captain ran out of his home to try to stop the theft himself. As the two men began backing the car out of the driveway, he approached the vehicle and was struck, knocking him to the ground. The two individuals then fled the area, Chief Zotollo said.
Treated and Released After Precautionary Hospital Visit
The captain was taken to a hospital as a precaution for the right leg injury he sustained in the collision, and the station's report notes he was discharged a short time later. No arrests, suspect descriptions, or recovered-vehicle information have been released in connection with the incident.
It is the second time in recent weeks that a Saddle Brook officer has been struck by a vehicle while on the job. Last month, a Saddle Brook police officer was struck and critically injured by a hit-and-run driver while conducting a traffic stop on Route 80, according to NBC New York. In that earlier case, the officer had pulled over a vehicle at about 4:30 a.m. on eastbound Interstate 80 when an unknown car struck both the officer and the stopped Nissan Maxima before fleeing, leaving the three occupants of the Nissan uninjured.
Auto Theft Remains a Concern Even as National Numbers Fall
Vehicle thefts have declined nationally, with the National Insurance Crime Bureau reporting a 23% drop in 2025 compared with 2024, totaling 659,880 vehicles reported stolen across the country. Even with that decline, the bureau says a vehicle is still stolen somewhere in the United States every 48 seconds. The New Jersey Office of the Attorney General has said it has taken a comprehensive approach to combatting the rise in auto theft affecting the state and the country in recent years, noting that stolen vehicles are often used to commit other crimes.
