A North Bergen police officer remained hospitalized in fair condition Thursday after suffering severe head injuries and undergoing emergency brain surgery. He had been struck by a van while on duty last Sunday evening helping a stranded motorist.
According to North Bergen Police Chief Angelo Busacco, Police Officer Gregory Costanza underwent emergency brain surgery Sunday night at Hackensack University Medical Center only hours after he was struck by a van, thrown approximately 18 feet and became unconscious.
"He’s doing rather well," said Busacco, who went to visit Costanza Tuesday afternoon, along with Public Safety Commissioner Theresa Ferraro. "He’s been moved from intensive care to a private room and doctors tell us that he should recover. But you’re worried any time there is an injury of that magnitude. Without question, when you hear of something like this, it’s very serious."
According to Busacco, Costanza, 21, a resident of Secaucus, was alone on regular patrol last Sunday evening around 8 p.m. when he spotted a female motorist who was having car troubles on 69th Street, just below of Tonnelle Avenue, near the Pathmark shopping center.
Costanza pulled his vehicle over to the side of 69th Street and called for a tow truck to aid the stranded woman. A tow truck driver from Main Towing in North Bergen arrived on the scene and was hooking up the stranded motorist’s vehicle when Costanza was struck by a 1994 Ford van, which was operated by Donna Solter, 37, of North Bergen.
"He was talking to the motorist and stepped away a few steps and got clipped by the van," Busacco said. "We still have not determined what happened after Greg was hit, but he was thrown 18 feet."
Another tow truck operator saw the accident take place and quickly dialed 911. Emergency medical technicians from the North Bergen Volunteer First Aid Squad, whose headquarters are located just up the road on Blanton Avenue, got to Costanza as fast as possible, stabilized his head and neck and transported him to Hackensack University Medical Center.
Upon arrival at Hackensack, Costanza was examined by neurosurgeons, who determined that there was some bleeding between the brain and the skull, as well as damage to a small artery. Because of the injuries, the surgeons performed the emergency surgery to stop the bleeding and repair the artery.
"The doctors didn’t want to have any clotting," Busacco said. "They wanted to stop the bleeding before it reached the brain and caused any damage. Thank God they caught it right away. He was in surgery perhaps an hour and a half after he was hit. Greg’s a tough kid and it was touch and go for a while Sunday night, but he came through it."
Several North Bergen off-duty police officers immediately went to the hospital to conduct a vigil, along with Costanza’s parents, Vincent and Patricia, and his brothers, Vincent, a Jersey City police officer, and Gerard, who is a police officer in New York City.
"Greg is very fortunate to have so many people who care about him," Busacco said. "He’s been doing an excellent job and is very well liked. He came on the job in July, 2000 and after graduating from the [Bergen County] Police Academy in December, he was put on regular patrol. Since he’s been on regular patrol, he’s been an excellent police officer."
North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco paid a visit to the hospital to see Costanza on Monday, followed by Busacco and Ferraro a day later.
Low visibility
The investigation regarding the accident is still pending. Solter, the wife of North Bergen High School vice-principal George Solter, was issued summonses for driving with an expired driver’s license and expired registration.
"It’s an area where you have to be cautious to begin with," Busacco said. "Apparently, it was raining and it was dark. But the lights on both the police vehicle and the tow truck were flashing. It is hard to determine the speed that the van was traveling. But there was nothing wrong with what Greg Costanza did as a police officer."
Costanza also suffered multiple fractures in his right arm and will require further surgery when he recovers from the head injuries.