A Franklin Township police officer who struck and killed a 10-year-old boy on the night of Dec. 27 was "responding to a call for assistance with an unruly juvenile in a township home," at the time of the incident, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office.

Patrolman Nicholas Locilento was traveling north on Delsea Drive between Elmer and Paul streets around 7 p.m. when his vehicle collided with Matthew McCloskey, 10, who was crossing the street at the time with a pair of young friends and adults nearby.

McCloskey, a fifth-grader at Carolyn L. Reutter School and the youngest of four children, died of multiple injuries, according to autopsy results released on Monday.

The other children present at the time of the tragic accident were unharmed.

Locilento — recently promoted to patrolman on Nov. 25 — was taken to Kennedy Hospital in wake of the crash for evaluation and has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigation, say prosecutors.

"While we certainly appreciate the public's interest in this tragic event, it would be premature in the course of the investigation and unfair to the McCloskey and Harding families and the police officer involved to provide partial details before all the facts are known," said Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean F. Dalton in a release distributed to members of the media.

It remains unclear if the police cruiser's lights and sirens were in use at the time of the accident and what operational protocol is when responding to calls.

"With a funeral approaching, we wish to give the family time to mourn their loss, and at their convenience, meet with them to share the findings of the investigation," said Dalton.

— Andy Polhamus and Kristina Pritchett contributed to this report.

Mark Daniels may be reached at mdaniels@southjerseymedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @dannypapers. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.