EW man charged in death of officer

Crash took life of Newark policeman

By Matt Chiappardi and Vic Monaco, Staff Writers
   A local man remained in prison this week on $1 million bail, charged with murder in connection with a two-vehicle crash that killed a Newark police sergeant in March.
   Essex County Prosecutor Paula T. Dow announced that an Essex County grand jury recently returned a 14-count indictment against William Ramirez-Rodriguez, 22, for his part in the death of Sgt. Tommaso Popolizio, 33.
   Sgt. Popolizio died after Mr. Ramirez-Rodriguez stole a police vehicle and collided with the police sergeant’s cruiser on March 3, according to the prosecutor.
   Mr. Ramirez-Rodriguez’s last known address is the Windsor Castle apartment complex on Devonshire Drive in East Windsor, according to law enforcement officials. He also has lived in Hightstown, and attended Hightstown High.
   According to Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Robert Laurino, who presented the case:
   Sgt. Popolizio responded with other officers at around 4 a.m. to reports of drag racing in the Ironbound section of Newark. Police arrested Mr. Ramirez-Rodriguez, who was spotted discarding a handgun from a vehicle. Mr. Ramirez-Rodriguez, left alone, handcuffed in the rear of a police cruiser, escaped and managed to drive off with the vehicle. Seconds later, not far from the front gates of the Essex County jail, Sgt. Popolizio’s marked SUV collided with the stolen police cruiser.
   Mr. Ramirez-Rodriguez was found nearby hiding in tall grass, not far from the crash site.
   Sgt. Popolizio was taken to a hospital with massive head injuries as a result of the crash, which flipped his vehicle. He was pronounced dead two hours later.
   He was married and a father of four children, and had received numerous accolades during his 12 years on the police force.
   Mr. Ramirez-Rodriguez was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder, first-degree aggravated manslaughter, second-degree vehicular homicide, third-degree aggravated assault, third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, fourth-degree possession of a defaced firearm, third-degree driving while suspended causing death, third-degree leaving the scene of an accident, third-degree endangering an injured victim, third-degree theft by unlawful taking, second-degree eluding police, second-degree escape and third- degree resisting arrest.
   In addition, Mr. Ramirez-Rodriguez was charged in a separate indictment of one count of second- degree possession of a weapon by a convicted felon.
   If found guilty of the charges, he faces life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
   He remained this week in the Wagner Youth Correction Facility in Bordentown, where he had been incarcerated March 23 on drug charges. He is scheduled for an arraignment hearing Dec. 12.
   Mr. Ramirez-Rodriguez is no stranger to area police.
   According to records from the East Windsor Police Department, he was arrested in May 2004 and charged with aggravated assault on a police officer, throwing bodily fluid on a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. Those charges followed an incident at the Days Inn on Route 33, after which he allegedly spit on an officer at headquarters. At that time his address was listed as being on Manlove Avenue in Hightstown.
   He was subsequently arrested in August, September, October and November of 2004 on motor vehicle warrants. In Sept. 2005, he was arrested again on outstanding warrants from Burlington County and West Windsor. And in 2006, he was arrested by Hamilton police on an East Windsor warrant.
   Ron Bolandi, superintendent of East Windsor Regional Schools, said Thursday that Mr. Ramirez-Rodriguez attended Hightstown High School as a freshman in 2001-2002, left the school and returned as a junior from September through November of 2003.