Egg Harbor officer pulled from car after crash

An Egg Harbor Township police officer had to be rescued using the Jaws of Life on Saturday after his patrol car collided with a Volvo station wagon that appeared to have crossed the double yellow line on a two-lane highway in the township's Bargaintown section.

Egg Harbor police said Patrolman Ed Bertino, 35, a nine-year veteran of the force, was traveling south on Spruce Avenue near Ninth Avenue when his 2006 Ford was struck and pinned against a guardrail by a 1989 Volvo being driven northbound on Spruce by Alexandro Doukopoulos, 18, of Linwood.

The crash occurred about 2:15 p.m., about an hour after a rain shower, police said. The Bargaintown Volunteer Fire Department responded and the driver's-side door of Bertino's silver vehicle had to be removed so that rescuers could extricate him.

The road was closed for about an hour as police investigated the cause of the crash, which was not immediately determined. Bertino was treated at the scene and taken to Shore Medical Center in Somers Point, where he was examined and released.

Police said Doukopoulos was examined at the scene by paramedics and did not appear to need further treatment.

Initial police reports indicated that neither drugs nor alcohol played any role in the crash. No one has been charged pending further investigation.