Video From Scene Where Cop Fatally Struck Camden Co. Pedestrian Released

ATCO, NJ — Authorities have released body-camera footage from the scene where a Waterford police officer is under investigation for fatally striking a pedestrian.

Sgt. Richard Sbarra was driving a Waterford Township Police Department when he hit Christofe "Christopher" Wita on the White Horse Pike, according to the NJ Office of the Attorney General (OAG). Wita, 44, of Berlin, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The state continues to investigate the Nov. 23 incident, which will be presented to a grand jury to determine whether Wita should be charged. The OAG released body-camera footage and audio recordings from the incident this week — a requirement for investigations into deaths during police encounters, per state law.

The 3-minute video, shared Tuesday by the OAG, begins with Sbarra slowing down as police lights flash in the area. His windshield is cracked throughout the lower-middle portion.

Sbarra stops his vehicle and radios his location.

"I was just involved with a ped MVA (motor vehicle accident)," Sbarra said on his radio after striking the pedestrian, later identified as Wita.

The collision is not shown in the footage that was made available, and it's unclear what time it occurred. The recording from Sbarra's body-worn camera shows times of 2:10 to 2:13 a.m.

Wita, whose body was a short distance in front of Sbarra's vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:19 a.m. that night.

While communicating from inside the car, Sbarra radios a request for additional unit, including a medic. He exits his car about 90 seconds into the clip and rummages for supplies in his trunk, putting on a pair of protective gloves.

Sbarra then walks in front of his vehicle, where another officer is putting markers around Wita's body in the roadway. A third officer is also walking toward the body, which is blurred in the video, from the opposite direction.

The video does not show anyone providing first aid to the victim.

The OAG has released the 3-minute video and an 18-minute video of radio communications at the scene (viewer discretion is advised).

State law requires the OAG to conduct investigations into deaths that occur during encounters with law enforcement or while in custody. The office must present each investigation to a grand jury, which determines if the evidence supports the return of an indictment.

During that process, the OAG releases certain footage and recordings from the incidents, per department policy. Investigators met with Wita's family to review the recordings before they were publicly released.

Sbarra has worked for 14 years in the Waterford Township Police Department, most recently making a salary of $115,348, according to public data.