Cop charged: Allendale, NJ officer helped driver flee scene of accident

ALLENDALE — A borough police officer in his tenth year on the job has been suspended without pay and charged with hindering apprehension.

On Jan. 15, Officer Victor Bartoloma provided his personal vehicle to a driver who had gotten into a motor vehicle accident, so that the driver could leave the scene, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

Bartoloma then told a Ridgewood officer who responded to the scene that he was the driver involved in the accident, the prosecutor's office said.

Surveillance footage shows that Bartoloma was not the driver involved in the accident, and that he was not present at the time of the accident, according to an investigation. In addition, an eyewitness stated to police on scene that Bartoloma was not the driver involved in the crash.

Bartoloma was charged with second-degree hindering apprehension on Jan. 19 and was released pending a first appearance in court.

Bartoloma has been suspended without pay from his duties as a police officer, the prosecutor's office said.

According to a Facebook post by the Allendale Police Department, Bartoloma was sworn in as a probationary police officer in January 2014.

Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com

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