Police Unsure If Officer Involved in Sunday Crash Will Work Wednesday Shift

It remains unclear if a patrolman whose squad car was struck early Sunday morning will return to duty for his scheduled Wednesday night shift. 

Patrolman Adam Guker, 32, was conducting a traffic stop on Route 70 in Whiting at 3:30 a.m. Sunday and had just returned to his patrol car when a Jeep Wrangler driven by Aphrodite Rakos, 25, from Brick, struck the rear of his car, police said.

"He's still sore," said Capt. Lisa Parker of Guker's condition the day after the crash, during which the Jeep rode up the side of the patrol car and flipped. The Jeep then came to a rest on the driver’s side in the opposite lane of travel, police said. 

Guker and Rakos were transported to a local hospital for evaluation following the crash. The patrolman is not scheduled to work again until Wednesday night, so police will wait to make the determination if he can return to duty that day, according to Parker. 

"It's just too soon to know," the captain said. 

As for the fate of the damaged patrol car, Chief of Police Brian Klimakowski said that the department's insurance company has yet to determine if it will be repaired or deemed totaled. 

Rakos was charged with driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor and/or drugs, as well as other motor vehicle violations, police said. Parker said that blood was drawn from Rakos at the hospital for testing following the crash and results are pending.  

The car that Guker had pulled over for a motor vehicle violation was not involved in the accident, police said.

Route 70 was closed for several hours in the area while police investigated the crash. Patrolman Antonio Ellis of the department's Traffic Safety Section and Patrolman Paul Bachovchin are continuing the investigation. 

Also assisting at the scene were the Whiting Volunteer Fire Department, Quality Medical Transport, Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and Sheriff’s Department Criminal Investigation Unit and New Jersey Department of Transportation Emergency Diversion Unit.