NYPD Officer From Long Island Killed in Hit-and-Run Crash on NJ Turnpike

An off-duty NYPD officer from Long Island was killed early Sunday morning in a hit-and-run crash on the New Jersey Turnpike, according to New Jersey State Police.

Vincent Harrison, of Valley Stream, was pronounced dead at the scene after being struck by an Infiniti in Elizabeth, south of Newark, police said.

The 25-year-old had gotten out of his car, a 2013 Chevrolet Cruze, after being involved in a minor collision with a 2003 Ford Escape in the southbound outer lanes of the turnpike around 3 a.m., police said.

Harrison’s car came to rest on the right shoulder, but the Ford stopped in the right and right-center lanes, police said. Harrison exited his vehicle and was near the Ford when an Infiniti came upon the scene and struck Harrison.

After stopping at the scene briefly, the Infiniti fled prior to police arrival. But New Jersey State Police said Sunday night that the Infiniti and its driver have now been located. State troopers are working with the Union County Prosecutor’s Office to determine the appropriate charges for the driver, who police have not yet identified.

Harrison graduated from the NYPD’s police academy in 2014 and was a patrol officer in the Rockaway Beach section of Queens in the 100th Precinct, the Daily News reported.

Harrison’s cousin, Drexel Michael Berry, told Newsday that Harrison was the “nicest, funniest and most kindhearted guy you would ever meet.”

Photo via Facebook/Vincent Harrison