A Newark police officer is now facing charges in connection with the death of a traffic officer.
Sergeant Victor Ortiz surrendered to police Thursday and was hit with manslaughter and vehicular homicide charges. Authorities allege he was behind the wheel of a vehicle that slammed into Newark Traffic Control Officer Jairo Rodriguez three weeks ago. Authorities allege Ortiz was off duty at the time and the crash happened around one in the morning. Rodriguez was directing traffic by the Prudential Center after an event.