Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes announces that based upon an investigation by the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit, Christopher Astacio, 22 years old, of Paterson, New Jersey, was arrested Tuesday morning in relation to a serious motor vehicle accident that took place on December 16, 2017 in the area of Straight and Fulton Streets in the City of Paterson.
Passaic County authorities charged Mr. Astacio by way of a summons complaint with Assault by Auto Causing Serious Bodily Injury, Third Degree; Assault by Auto Causing Bodily Injury, Fourth Degree; and Driving While Intoxicated.
Police say on the date of the crash, Mr. Astacio was employed as a Paterson Police officer, but off-duty at the time of the incident.
According to police, on December 16, 2017, at approximately 3:35 a.m., police responded to the area of Straight and Fulton Streets in the city of Paterson in response to a report of a serious motor vehicle accident with one occupant unresponsive.
Upon their arrival, they found Mr. Astacio’s 2011 Acura TL in the roadway, having struck a train trestle at that location.
Mr. Astacio and one of his passengers were located outside of the vehicle, having suffered injuries. A third occupant in the vehicle was entrapped in the vehicle and initially unresponsive, having suffered serious injuries.
Police say Mr. Astacio was treated for his injuries at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson and was discharged seven days later. The investigation revealed that Mr. Astacio had been operating his vehicle recklessly with a blood alcohol content above the legal limit at the time of the crash.
Authorities processed Astacio and released him on a Summons Complaint today, and he is scheduled to appear at Central Judicial Processing on Wednesday, March 14th at 1:30, p.m.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office asks anyone with additional information about this incident to contact us on our tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org.