Dover Council Seeks NJTransit Safety Precautions

The board also approves two new full-time and one new part-time hires at the Dover Police Department.

The Town Council unanimously approved the addition of three new Dover Police Department officers at the April 28 meeting. (PHOTO/DOVERNOW.com)

The tragic death of Christofer Huamani on the NJTransit tracks near Water Works Park in Dover two weeks ago has prompted town officials into action. 

During the town council’s second meeting in April, council member Sandra Wittner requested that the town engage NJ Transit on how they can begin to provide enhanced security measures around the tracks to prevent more accidents in the area.

DOVERNOW reported that Huamani, an 18-year-old Dover High School student and native of Peru, was struck and killed by an eastbound train on April 16, as he and some of his friends made their way to a local swimming hole on the Rockaway River. His mother Erika recently held a tribute at Club Colombia, where she celebrated the happy spirit of her son. Community members organized a GoFundMe page to assist his mother to cover funeral and burial expenses.

Council member Wittner shared with members of the public and Mayor James P. Dodd that she and former mayor Carolyn Blackman once engaged with NJ Transit on how to address security measures around Waterworks Park, but added that NJ Transit said that it was too expensive.

“We were afraid of this very thing happening,” Wittner said. “Mayor Blackman at the time

approached NJ Transit to ask about the possibility of providing safety measures to keep peopleaway from the tracks.”

Mayor Dodd responded that the town has already begun engaging with NJ Transit. He added that the town’s zoning officer and engineering department are already working to meet with NJTransit, and invited the council member to be a part of the process.

“We tried many years ago, many times,” Mayor Dodd said. “This should have never happened.” 

NJ Transit did not return a request for comment from DoverNow.com by press time.

Following a 30-minute executive session, council members and the mayor returned and read into the record a resolution to appoint three new Dover Police Department officers: Michael Hatzimihalis, a Special Law Enforcement Officer assigned to the Traffic Unit; and two Full-Time Law Enforcement Officers, Renzo Guzman and entry-level officer Helmer Garcia-Paramo. Their hires were approved unanimously. The vote came two weeks after the council promoted three detectives to sergeants.