Wanted Manahawkin Man Hit Cop Responding To Crash: Police

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — A wanted Manahawkin man struck an Atlantic City police officer with his pickup truck while the officer was responding to the scene of a car accident, police said.

Officer Joseph Kelly Jr. was assisting with traffic control with other officers and firefighters shortly before 11 p.m. on Oct. 9 after a car ran off the roadway on Route 30 and into the marsh, police said. The occupants were able to exit the car unharmed, police said.

Kelly was setting up road flares when he was "suddenly and unexpectedly" struck by a 2016 Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by 46-year-old Peter Kwiatkowski of Manahawkin, police said.

The force threw Kelly to the side of the roadway, police said. Kwiatkowski remained at the scene.
Kelly was taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Division, to be treated, police said.

An investigation revealed that Kwiatkowski didn't yield for the numerous emergency vehicles at the scene of the crash, causing him to hit Kelly, police said. Kwiatkowski also had multiple outstanding warrants for his arrest out of Ocean County and was taken into custody, according to police.

He was issued several motor vehicle summonses including failure to yield to emergency vehicles and reckless driving, police said, and was taken to the Atlantic County Justice Facility.

"The public is reminded that the law requires you to move over and slow down when encountering stopped emergency vehicles," Atlantic City police said. "Please protect those who protect you."
Anyone who may have witnessed this motor vehicle crash is urged to contact Crash Investigator Officer Franco Sydnor of the Atlantic City Police Department Crash Investigations unit at 609-347-5744 or text anonymously to tip411 (847411). Begin the text with ACPD. All texts are anonymous.