Woodbridge officer struck by vehicle while trying to help person walking in traffic identified
Officer Alexander Rebelo suffered neck and back fractures after being struck on St. Georges Avenue in Avenel on Tuesday night, police say.
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A Woodbridge police officer who suffered neck and back fractures after being struck by a vehicle Tuesday night has been identified as Officer Alexander Rebelo.
According to the Woodbridge Police Department, officers were dispatched to a report of a possible psychiatric emergency on Ronald Drive in the Colonia section of the township around 8:43 p.m. Sept. 29.
Before officers arrived, police learned the individual had left the residence on foot. Rebelo, who was nearby, responded on his own initiative and located the person walking in the middle lane of St. Georges Avenue in Avenel, near Midfield Road.
Police said Rebelo positioned his marked patrol vehicle in the northbound lanes and got out to assist the individual, who continued walking in traffic despite the officer's commands.
Several vehicles stopped as the situation unfolded. Rebelo pursued the individual in an attempt to protect him when he was struck by a passing vehicle, according to police.
The driver immediately stopped, remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators.
Rebelo was taken by Woodbridge EMS to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital with a fractured neck, fractured back and lacerations to his face and head.
The individual Rebelo was attempting to help was taken into custody at the scene and transported to an area hospital for psychiatric and medical evaluation, police said.
