Union County Officer Accused Of Police Brutality, 61-Year-Old Woman Was In Critical Condition

A routine traffic stop in Union County ended in critical injuries and accusations of police brutality after the 61-year-old mother of the driver attempted to intervene during the stop.

Reports say the driver, Fortunato Riga, was being pulled from his vehicle by a Clark officer after he was stopped for running a red light when his mother, Antoinette Dilorio, attempted to intervene. Police say Dilorio jumped on the officer’s back, but the family says that’s not true, according to NorthJersey.com.

“All of a sudden he grabbed my mother in law by the arm, lifted her off her feet in mid-air and slammed her on the ground. All you saw was blood pouring out of her face,” the driver’s fiance, Crystal Palmieri told ABC 7 New York.

The couple’s 5-year-old son was also in the vehicle at the time of the incident. Riga is accused of not getting out of his vehicle when he was told to by police.

Dilorio reportedly had her front teeth knocked out, suffered multiple fractures, and was placed in a medically-induced coma - she was recently released from University Hospital in Newark, according to nj.com.

Clark mayor, Sal Bonaccorso, has since public sided with the officer, a Marine Corps veteran, stating the car’s occupants began screaming as soon as they were pulled over and Riga refused to provide his license.

“Quite honestly, I’m disgusted by the whole situation,” Bonaccorso said, according to reports. “I think these people are looking for a pay day. And they’re not going to get in in Clark.”