Off-Duty Aberdeen Cop Hit By Driver He Pulled Over: Prosecutor

ABERDEEN, NJ — An Aberdeen police lieutenant who pulled a driver over for driving erratically Monday was hit by the man he stopped, who then fled the scene, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's office.

The driver, Christopher Uszenski, 49, of Old Bridge, has been taken into police custody and charged with first-degree attempted murder and third-degree knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision with serious bodily injury.

The Aberdeen police lieutenant, identified by the Monmouth County Prosecutor as Craig Hausmann, has been hospitalized. He remains in stable condition as of Wednesday.

This happened shortly before 12:15 p.m. Monday, when Aberdeen Police got a call for service originating from the area of North Concourse and Wayside Drive in the Cliffwood Beach section.

Arriving officers found the police officer, Hausmann, at that location, having just been hit by a car, which he said fled the scene.

The prosecutor said Hausmann had been attempting to stop the driver in question for driving erratically.

Hausmann was actually off duty at the time and he is not a patrol officer; he is a 20-year veteran with the department and currently oversees its Administration Division. Hausmann was not in uniform and was not driving his patrol vehicle when he pulled the car over. He did identify himself as a police officer, however.

According to NJ state law, a municipal police officer has the power to make an arrest or issue a ticket for any crime or violation committed in the officer's presence, anywhere in New Jersey and even if the officer is "off the clock."

Uszenski was quickly identified as a suspect, and he and his car, a Nissan Altima, were located on Pomona Boulevard in Old Bridge shortly thereafter.

Following his arrest, Uszenski was taken to the Monmouth County jail pending a first appearance to take place in Monmouth County Superior Court.

“Lt. Hausmann remains hospitalized in stable condition, and on behalf of the entire department, we extend to him our very best well-wishes,” Aberdeen Police Chief Matthew Lloyd said. “Despite being off duty, he nonetheless was leveraging his many years of experience in vigilantly seeking to keep his community safe at the time of his injury, and we cannot commend those efforts enough.”

“The speed and professionalism with which this investigation was conducted was nothing short of extraordinary, and we’re pleased that the person responsible has been identified and apprehended,” said Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey. “We’d also like to wish Lt. Hausmann a swift and thorough recovery, and let him and his Department know that they have our firm support.”

If convicted on attempted murder, the Old Bridge man is facing up to 20 years in state prison.

If anyone has any information about or witnessed any portion of this incident, they are urged to contact Detective Thomas Manzo of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at (800) 533-7443 or Detective Bruce Monro of the Aberdeen Township Police Department at (732) 566-2054.

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