Judge Releases Driver in Route 80 Crash That Injured Saddle Brook Officer

SADDLE BROOK / HACKENSACK, N.J. — A Superior Court judge released Katelyn M. Gallardo from the Bergen County Jail after a Monday detention hearing, with conditions that she remain home while she faces charges stemming from a Sept. 20 Interstate 80 crash that seriously injured Saddle Brook Police Officer Nicholas Genuario.

Superior Court Judge Gary N. Wilcox ordered Gallardo’s release even after describing the state’s evidence as “very strong,” including video of the crash he reviewed, according to accounts of the hearing. Wilcox said the “history and characteristics of the defendant” weighed in favor of release and that he had to consider the “totality of the circumstances,” while acknowledging the state’s frustration over the severity of the case.

The decision raises a central question for readers following the case: why release a defendant when the court itself calls the evidence strong? Under New Jersey’s detention framework, the issue before the judge is not guilt or innocence. Defense attorney Kathleen Theurer argued the state had not proven by clear and convincing evidence that no set of conditions could reasonably assure Gallardo’s appearance, prevent obstruction, and protect the community. Prosecutors, led in court by Chief Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Julie Serfess, sought continued detention, citing the gravity of the crash and Gallardo’s alleged failure to stop, render aid, or report the collision. A Public Safety Assessment had scored Gallardo as a low flight risk, according to arguments recounted from the hearing.

New Jersey State Police said the crash occurred about 4:34 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, on I-80 east at milepost 62.4 in Saddle Brook. Officer Genuario was outside a gray Nissan Maxima during a traffic stop in the highway’s deceleration lane when another vehicle traveling east struck the left side of the Maxima and the officer before leaving the scene, state police said. The three occupants of the Nissan were not injured.

State police and Saddle Brook detectives identified the striking vehicle as a white 2024 Honda Accord. Investigators later located the Honda at a Maywood residence with damage consistent with the Route 80 crash, authorities said. Gallardo, 20, of Maywood, was charged with second-degree aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, third-degree leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury, and third-degree endangering an injured victim. She was lodged in the Bergen County Jail pending the detention hearing. Charges are allegations; Gallardo is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

Saddle Brook Police Chief John A. Zotollo Jr., speaking late Monday, Sept. 22, with the consent of the officer and his family, said Genuario was in intensive care and “critical but stable,” faced a long recovery with future surgeries once stable, and that hospital officials had verified he had “no life-threatening injuries at this time.” At Monday’s detention hearing, Serfess told the court the 25-year-old officer had undergone several surgeries and had two broken eye sockets, and described his condition as “hour by hour, day by day,” according to hearing coverage. Court documents cited in prior reporting also list a skull fracture, brain bleed, vision loss, and a broken arm among injuries attributed to the impact.

Wilcox ordered Gallardo to remain home under conditions that include surrendering her driver’s license and abstaining from drugs and alcohol. She may travel to work with her mother, who also works at the same Bronx public school where Gallardo works with special-needs children, and a family member may drive her to classes at Bergen Community College, according to the reported conditions of release.

Chief Zotollo credited the New Jersey State Police, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, and Saddle Brook officers for an arrest within about 30 hours of the crash. The Genuario family issued a statement thanking the community for support and saying they were relieved an arrest had been made. The investigation remains active, authorities have said.

Bergen TV will update this story if the Prosecutor’s Office, Saddle Brook Police, or the court releases further public information on Officer Genuario’s condition or Gallardo’s pretrial status.