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John Culligan, 56, surrendered on Friday to be charged in connection with the incident, which was captured on surveillance video, Norwood Police Chief Jeffrey Krapels said.
Timothy Reilly apparently was sitting in his car eating a sandwich in front of the Livingston Street convenience store around 2 a.m. Wednesday when Culligan pulled up and beeped his horn, apparently because he needed the parking space, the chief said.
The 56-year-old Reilly of Closter got out, apparently to investigate, and was cold-cocked, Krapels said.
Culligan then pushed the unconscious Reilly back into his car, continued beating him and closed the car door on his legs, he said.
Reilly drove himself to the hospital, where he was treated before being released, Krapels said. He was recovering at home with a broken leg, the chief said.
Culligan, a Brooklyn native works as a cardiovascular technician at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, reports on his LinkedIn profile that he's been with the Closter Fire Department more than 25 years and the Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Corps more than five.
Officials, however, said Culligan was a firefighter a total of eight years -- in two separate stints -- and was an "on paper" and never an active member of the ambulance corps.
Norwood police, after consulting with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, charged Culligan with simple assault Friday and then released him pending a court hearing.
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