MIDDLE TOWNSHIP, Nov. 4, 2026 — Middle Township Patrolman Austin Kapurelos, who was seriously injured when a suspected impaired driver struck him during a traffic stop on Route 47 last month, thanked his wife, his department and the community in a Facebook post this week.
"One minute you're out doing the job you love, and the next your life is turned upside down by something you never saw coming," Kapurelos wrote. He said he has "a long road of recovery and rehabilitation ahead."
He credited his wife, Jasmine, with "holding everything together while I focus on getting better," and thanked fellow officers for checking in, helping his wife and organizing support. "I'm proud to work alongside each and every one of you, and I will never forget the way you've stood behind me and my wife during one of the hardest times in our lives," he wrote. He also thanked PBA Local 59 and its president, Michael Iames.
Kapurelos has moved from AtlantiCare to a rehabilitation facility, which the union called an important step in his recovery, WPST reports.
Kapurelos was struck Oct. 16 while conducting a motor vehicle stop on Route 47 South, police said. Lucio Lopez-Perez, 36, of Erma, was charged with driving while intoxicated, assault by auto and other offenses. He remains in custody after the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office won a stay of a judge's release order, and his next court date is in December, according to Middle Township officials.
Charges are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Sources: Austin Kapurelos on Facebook; WPST; Middle Township Police Department.