A Newark man who fled during a traffic stop, later speeding the wrong way down a one-way street with police in high pursuit, faces several charges for allegedly crashing into a car and killing an off-duty corrections officer, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said Friday.

Dashawn Walton, 24, of Newark, is charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter for causing the death of Omar Martin, 49, said Acting Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II. Martin was a veteran corrections officer at Northern State Prison and a veteran of the Iraq war.

Walton is also charged with second-degree eluding, third-degree causing a death while in a motor-vehicle collision while driving without a license, and second-degree vehicular homicide, Stephens said.

The incident that led to Martin’s death began about 2:30 a.m. last Saturday when an officer from the Hillside Police Department tried to pull over Walton’s car. Instead of stopping, Walton sped off, the prosecutor said.

“The officer followed him. Walton went the wrong way on Aldine Street, a one-way street,” Stephens said in a statement.

“The officer activated his lights and Walton continued to travel on Aldine into the city of Newark, colliding with Martin at the intersection on Bragaw Avenue in Newark,” Stephens said.

Walton’s car struck a vehicle Martin was driving. The impact pushed Martin’s car into a utility pole. Martin, who was not involved in the chase, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Walton was taken to the Essex County Jail, where he has been held since the day of the fatal crash, jail records show.

Martin had worked as a correctional police officer for 12 years. Co-workers said he was often the first or last face his fellow officers saw as they stopped to pick-up or hand-in equipment during their shift.

“Omar was a fun-loving guy,” said Carlton Easton, a fellow correctional officer at Northern State Prison. “He helped everybody. Anybody who needed assistance with anything, he was the first person in line to help them.”

Martin served in the N.J. Army National Guard and was an Iraq War veteran, serving as a heavy transport operator in 2004-2005 in the vicinity of Baghdad, his friend, Josh Warren wrote in an email to NJ Advance Media.

He was assigned to 2nd Squad, 4th Platoon, 1452nd Transportation Company, Warren said.

“(Martin) had been involved in at least one major incident of enemy contact, namely the ambush in Diwaniyah (on April 17, 2004) in which three American soldiers were killed,” Warren said. “I suppose what I’m getting at is that this was a man who actually fought the enemy as opposed to serving in a rear-echelon capacity far removed from imminent danger.”

Omar Martin, in passenger seat, with Josh Warren driving, in a 2004 photo. Martin served in the N.J. Army National Guard and was an Iraq War veteran.Photo provided

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.