SADDLE BROOK TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Bergen County) — A 20-year-old Maywood woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash that seriously injured a police officer on Interstate 80 early Sunday morning in Saddle Brook Township, New Jersey State Police said Monday.
Katelyn M. Gallardo, 20, of Maywood, was charged with second-degree aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, third-degree leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury and third-degree endangering an injured victim.
The crash happened at about 4:34 a.m. Sunday on I-80 east at milepost 62.4.
State police said Saddle Brook Police Officer Nicholas Genuario was conducting a traffic stop involving a gray Nissan Maxima that was stopped in the highway’s deceleration lane. While Genuario was outside the vehicle, another vehicle traveling east struck the left side of the Maxima and the officer before leaving the scene.
Genuario sustained serious injuries. The three occupants of the Nissan were not injured.
Saddle Brook Police Chief John A. Zotollo Jr. said Genuario remains in the intensive care unit and is continuing to receive treatment for his injuries.
“According to information obtained from the hospital, and with consent of the officer and his family, I can confirm that his condition is classified as ‘critical but stable’. While Nicholas faces a long road to recovery and will require future surgeries once stable, hospital officials have verified that he has ‘no life-threatening injuries at this time’,” Zotollo said.
During the investigation, detectives from the Saddle Brook Police Department and New Jersey State Police identified the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run as a white 2024 Honda Accord.
Detectives subsequently identified the vehicle’s owner and located the Honda at a residence in Maywood. State police said the vehicle had damage consistent with the I-80 crash.
Gallardo was arrested and lodged in the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing.
The Genuario family also issued a statement following the arrest.
“Your love, strength, and support following what happened to Nicholas have meant more than words can express. We are relieved that an arrest has been made and grateful to everyone who stood by Nicholas.”
The investigation remains active, and no additional information is available.
