Toms River Police Rally Around Officer Injured In Off-Duty Crash

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Police Department is rallying support for an officer who was severely injured in an off-duty crash on the Garden State Parkway on Wednesday.

Police spokesman Ralph Stocco said the department was notified on Wednesday that Brett Hansen, 28, who has worked for the department as a patrol officer since he was hired in August 2015, had been injured.

Hansen was off duty at the time of the crash, which happened near mile marker 90 in Brick Township, Stocco said.

New Jersey State Police Trooper Lawrence Peele said the crash happened shortly after 1 a.m. on Jan. 4. Hansen was northbound in a Dodge Avenger when his car hit the rear of a tractor trailer that was in the right lane, Peele said. After the collision, the car went off the road and hit a guard rail, he said.

Hansen, of Brick, suffered a head injury and was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, for treatment, Peele said. The crash remains under investigation, he said, but there was no evidence indicating Hansen was drunk or high while driving, Peele said, and authorities did not issue Hansen a summons.

Hansen "is expected to undergo numerous surgeries," Stocco said.

"We anticipate an extensive recovery for Officer Hansen with rapidly mounting medical costs," he said.

Support for the officer began popping up on Facebook Thursday as word spread among Hansen's Toms River co-workers, with people posting a Toms River Police Department logo with Hansen's badge number and urging prayers for him.

Stocco said a crowd funding site to assist the family will be set up in the near future. In the meantime, donations can be made to the “Brett Hansen Fund” and mailed to Toms River PBA 137, P.O. Box 5011, Toms River NJ 08754.

Photo courtesy of the Toms River Police Department