EDISON — A township police officer was seriously hurt in an early morning accident on Route 1 south near the intersection with Forest Haven Boulevard last week.
Patrolman Ioannis Mpletsakis, 25, also a township resident, suffered a head laceration and internal bleeding due to a ruptured aorta after his 2000 Honda Prelude went off the road and struck a concrete retaining wall at about 2:05 a.m. Dec. 28, Lt. Matthew Freeman said.
He was transported by ambulance to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital where he underwent surgery to repair the aorta, Freeman said.
"He’s progressing quite well," Freeman said. "He’s very fortunate, given the circumstances."
Many Edison officers have been to the hospital to meet with his family and show support for the three-year department veteran, Freeman said.
The cause of the accident is under investigation, Freeman said.
"Right now, the investigation is pointing to the icy roadway," he said.
Mpletsakis was listed in critical but stable condition, following his surgery, Freeman said.
— Bryan Sabella