Public Safety Director Brian A. O’Hara has corrected a preliminary report written by RLS Media of an incident where a pedestrian was struck by a police car in Newark's Central Ward Sunday afternoon.
According to Director O'Hara, at around 3:47 p.m. at Central Avenue and South 9th Street, a police car struck an 11-year-old boy.
Officials originally said the boy was accompanied by his mother but a video posted on Facebook this afternoon and obtained by RLS Media showed bystanders looking for the child’s mother who was found several minutes later.
Officials said the boy complained of pain and was transported to a local hospital to treat non-life threatening injuries, then released the same day.
The child's mother has stated on social media that the officer was using a cell phone before slamming into her son, but officials have not confirmed those accusations.
According to Director O'Hara, the department's standard practice with all motor vehicle crashes is an internal review.
"Each accident is also reviewed by our Accident Review Board for additional analysis," Director O'Hara said.