New Jersey

Off-Duty NYPD Officer Killed in New Jersey Turnpike Hit-Run

An off-duty NYPD officer was killed early Sunday by a hit-and-run driver while standing at the scene of a minor wreck on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Officer Vincent Harrison, 25, died in the 3 a.m. crash near Newark Liberty International Airport in Elizabeth.

Harrison, of Valley Stream, New York, was involved in a fender-bender with another car on the turnpike. He pulled over to the shoulder and got out of his vehicle to talk to the other driver.

Another driver, attempting to avoid the stopped vehicles, struck Harrison, New Jersey state troopers said.

The driver of the vehicle that hit Harrison stopped briefly but then drove away from the scene, investigators said. The driver was located and investigators were consulting with the Union County Prosecutor's Office to determine appropriate charges, police said.

Harrison was assigned to the 100th precinct on Rockaway Beach. He had been with the force less than two years.

In a statement released Sunday, his family said he had an "infectious smile and laugh. 

"He will be deeply missed by his family and friends," the family said.  

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