Middletown Police Officer Directing Traffic Hit By Car, Suffers Hand Injury

A Middletown police officer who was directing traffic suffered a hand injury when he was hit by a car, police said.

Middletown Ptl. Thomas Hughes was directing traffic at the intersection of Highway 35 and Pine Street around 11:08 a.m. when he was struck by a vehicle driven by Roland Eckstein, 80, from Pelican Road in Middletown.

The officer was assigned to the intersection when multiple lights on the highway lost power.

Police say that Eckstein attempted to pass vehicles on the shoulder of the road when he struck the officer who was standing in the intersection. Eckstein then left the scene but was located in Red Bank by the Red Bank Police Department. He was charged with assault with a motor vehicle.

Officer Hughes was transported to Riverview Hospital where he received treatment for a hand injury. The accident is being investigated by Sergeant Douglas Wiatrak of the Traffic and Safety Bureau.