New Jersey State Police say a trooper struck by a car on Interstate 195 while searching for two people who abandoned a vehicle has died from his injuries.
New Jersey State Trooper Marc K. Castellano, 29, was pronounced dead at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune shortly after the accident.
Castellano was injured at about 10 a.m. Sunday at the Exit 31 ramp in Howell Township while he was searching for two occupants of an abandoned car that was the subject of a BOLO (Be On Look Out) alert, according to police.
Capt. Gerald Lewis Jr. says 30-year-old Diana Hoffman from Blackwood was found hiding nearby in the woods and was taken into custody in connection with the search. Charges are pending.
Hoffman's car did not hit Trooper Castellano, police said. They are also investigating the validity of her claims that an unidentified black man was a passenger in the vehicle. The search for a second suspect was called off Sunday night.
State Police Superintendent Colonel Rick Fuentes released the following statement:
"The loss of Trooper Castellano is a difficult blow to absorb," Colonel Fuentes said. "The New Jersey State Police prides itself on being a family and the loss of our brother will be felt throughout the entire Division of State Police," Fuentes said. "Trooper Castellano was the embodiment of the finest ideals of the New Jersey State Police." "The entire State Police Family extends its' very deepest condolences to the family of Trooper Mark Castellano."
Trooper Castellano was a 5-year veteran of the force. He is survived by his wife, his 4-year-old daughter and 1-year-old son.
