'Respected Serviceman:' Tributes To NJ Officer Killed In Wreck

MILLVILLE – Tributes have been coming in since a New Jersey law enforcement officer was killed in a crash with a truck on Thursday.

The New Jersey Department of Corrections said it's mourning the loss of Police Sergeant Stephen Miller, a respected veteran serviceman of Bayside State Prison.

"With gratitude for his service and friendship, we extend our deepest condolences to his family," the department said.

The 53-year-old motorcyclist was a 22-year veteran of the prison in Maurice River Township, state Department of Corrections spokesman John Cokos told nj.com on Friday.

Miller worked his entire career at the Bayside facility and was promoted to sergeant in 2007, Cokos told nj.com.

The crash happened at approximately 2:44 p.m. when members of the Vineland Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit were dispatched to the area of West Landis Avenue and Mill Road, police said. The crash involved a Freightliner tractor-trailer truck and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.

The preliminary investigation revealed that the 2011 Freightliner operated by Manuel Lara, 65, of Patterson was traveling eastbound on West Landis Avenue as it began to make a left turn toward northbound Mill Road, police said.

As the tractor-trailer began to make the turn, a 1987 Harley Davidson operated by Miller was traveling westbound on West Landis Avenue when the crash occurred between the two vehicles, police said.

As a result of the crash, Miller suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to Cooper Medical Center, police said. Miller later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

No charges have been filed at this time and the investigation is still ongoing. Officer Paul Cifuentes of the Traffic Safety Unit is the lead investigator of the case.

Anyone with information pertaining to this case is encouraged to contact the Traffic Safety Unit at 856-691-4111 x4698.