The East Brunswick officer was on duty and in uniform when the marked vehicle struck the man in front of the AAA Insurance center on the northbound highway at 3:35 a.m., Acting New Jersey Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck said Sunday evening.
The man, whose identity was temporarily being withheld, was pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at 4:13 a.m., the attorney general said.
State law and his own guidelines require Bruck's office to investigate deaths that occur “during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody," he said.
The guidelines guarantee that the investigation is done “in a full, impartial and transparent manner."
Once the investigation is complete, the results will be presented to a grand jury -- ordinarily consisting of 16 to 23 citizens -- that will determine whether or not criminal charges are in order.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Northern Valley and receive free news updates.