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Charges against the young officer's mother, however, have been dropped.
Louis A. Santiago, 25, was staring at a cellphone when his Honda Accord drifted onto the shoulder and struck Damian Z. Dymka, a 29-year-old nurse from Garfield, near Exit 151 in Bloomfield around 3 a.m. on Nov. 1, 2021, they alleged.
What Dymka was doing on the parkway shoulder, particularly at that time, wasn't immediately clear.
He'd been to a Halloween party with his boyfriend earlier that night at Feathers, a nightclub just off Route 4 in River Edge, and was still wearing his costume -- a black mask, fake antlers and faux pelt that mimicked one of the Jan. 6, 2021 rioters at the U.S. Capitol building.
Santiago and his cousin, Albert Guzman of Newark, had also been to a bar that night in Bloomfield, according to reports. He allegedly claimed he'd thought he'd hit an animal.
After Santiago struck Dymka, instead of immediately calling 9-1-1, he and Guzman left the scene, and went to the Santiago family home, where they met with Santiago's dad, Lt. Luis Santiago.
The younger Santiago then returned to the scene and put Dymka’s body in his car. While Santiago drove away from the scene with Dymka's body, Lt. Santiago went to the scene of the crash and after a significant delay, then called 9-1-1. Santiago and Guzman then went to Santiago’s parents’ home with Dymka’s body in the car.
Santiago then returned to the scene of the crash with Dymka’s body in the car, just before responding state troopers.
An Essex County grand jury last Friday, July 15 returned a 16-count indictment charging the younger Santiago with vehicular homicide, knowingly leaving the scene of a fatal car crash, unlawfully disturbing human remains, causing death while driving under the influence of alcohol, endangering an injured victim, tampering with evidence, hindering prosecution, and multiple counts of conspiracy. Santiago was also charged with two counts of official misconduct.
The indictment specifically alleges that Santiago deleted phone data, tampered with the crime scene, failed to call emergency aid, and made false statements to law enforcement.
Both Santiago and Guzman were charged with multiple counts of conspiracy to desecrate human remains, hinder prosecution, and tamper with evidence. Guzman was charged with hindering the prosecution of another for the crime of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash resulting in death by concealing or destroying evidence.
Lt. Santiago was indicted for hindering the prosecution of another for the crime of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash resulting in death by providing false information to police on the morning of the incident. He was also indicted for official misconduct by failing to properly summon emergency aid for a motor vehicle accident involving an injured person.
Santiago's mother, Annette Santiago, 53, was originally charged, but the grand jury declined to indict her. Consequently, all charges against her have been dismissed.
The Santiagos and Guzman have been processed and released. A date has not yet been set for their first court appearances on the charges in the indictment.
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