Penn State U. student Kevin Ignatuk, 21, is in critical condition after being hit by a police cruiser early Sunday morning, authorities say. Though his roommate said Ignatuk didn’t see the car coming, police said he “darted” into the road.

Ignatuk’s roommate Ben Cuddy (junior-kinesiology) said he was with Ignatuk when he stepped into the street in front of an oncoming police SUV outside their apartment, according to a State College Police Department press release.

Ignatuk, of Thornton, Pa., was transported to Mount Nittany Medical Center and then flown to the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, police said. Hospital officials said he is in critical condition.

Ignatuk appeared to have not seen the oncoming vehicle before it hit him, Cuddy said. Police say Ignatuk “darted from the sidewalk” when a police SUV hit him at about 1:42 a.m. on the 400 block of East Beaver Avenue.

The State College Police Department sergeant driving the SUV was on routine patrol with his headlights illuminated, police said.

Cuddy said Ignatuk had been drinking Saturday, though he did not know exactly how much alcohol his roommate had consumed.

A portion of Beaver Avenue was closed for about three hours following the incident, police said.

The Pennsylvania State Police is assisting in the investigation because a State College Police Department vehicle was involved in the incident.