Off-Duty Union Beach Cop Killed In Crash: Police

UNION BEACH, NJ — An off-duty Union Beach police officer was killed in a car crash, Union Beach Police Chief Michael Woodrow announced Sunday morning.

Corporal Timothy Kelly Jr., 29, was a detective and a five-year veteran of the Union Beach Police Department, Woodrow said in a post on the agency's Facebook page.

He was killed in a crash on Rt. 36 near Grand Avenue in Atlantic Highlands.

Woodrow described Kelly as a "rising star" in the department who had worked on high-profile special operations with the FBI and Drug Enforcement Agency, among others. Before joining the agency, Kelly graduated with degrees in history and criminal justice from the University of Alabama.

Kelly followed in the footsteps of his father, Timothy Kelly, a sergeant in the Union Beach Police Department.

Many people and several law enforcement agencies offered condolences to Kelly's family and the Union Beach Police Department in replies to the social media announcement.

"Thank you, Detective Kelly, for your service," said a reply from the New Jersey State Park Police. "Rest easy, sir."

This story mistakenly made reference to Timothy Kelly Jr. as Michael Kelly Jr. and Timothy Kelly as Michael Kelly. Their names have been corrected.