His fellow correctional police officers saw his smiling face every day between shifts as they handed off their keys and gear. Omar Martin, working the center control booth at Northern State Prison in Newark, was always there with a kind gesture as they came and went, his colleagues said.
“He was always friendly, always had a big smile on his face,” said William Sullivan, executive vice president of PBA Local 105. “Nobody could say anything bad about him. He was just one of those all-around nice guys.”
Now, his colleagues, family and friends are mourning after Martin was killed early Saturday when a motor vehicle that was fleeing from police slammed into his car, authorities said.
According to a spokesman from the Attorney General’s office, a chase began when an officer from the Hillside police department began pursuit of a Nissan Altima occupied by three men. The chase ended near the intersection of Bragaw Avenue and Aldine Street in Newark around 2:37 a.m., when the fleeing car struck the Ford Mustang that Martin was driving broadside, pushing it into a utility pole.
The Attorney General’s office has not released names of the victim or suspects. But Martin’s colleagues identified him Saturday as the man killed in Newark.
Martin had worked as a correctional police officer for 12 years, Sullivan said. He was often the first or last face his fellow officers saw as they stopped to pick-up or hand-in equipment during their shift.
“Omar was a fun-loving guy,” said Carlton Easton, a fellow correctional officer at Northern State Prison. “He helped everybody. Anybody who needed assistance with anything, he was the first person in line to help them.”
Lt. Freddie Crowell said Saturday he worked with Martin for five years, and he remembered Martin as always willing to go above and beyond the regular duties of his job.
Martin often volunteered to drive a bus of colleagues to officer funerals because he had his trucking license, Crowell said. He added it stings knowing Crowell and others will have to find someone else to drive the bus to Martin’s funeral.
“He had so much love for the job," Crowell said. "He always came in smiling and laughing he was never in a bad mood.”
“For something like this to happen is just a complete shock.”
Crowell also described Martin as a real “gentle giant” who had patience to train new officers.
A GoFundMe was set up by Sullivan to assist Martin’s family. The fundraiser had raised more than $2,000 on Saturday afternoon.
Staff writer Matthew Stanmyre contributed to this contributed to this report.
Matthew Stanmyre may be reached at mstanmyre@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattStanmyre. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Olivia Rizzo may be reached at orizzo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @LivRizz. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.
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