A 56-year-old Brooklyn man was killed before dawn Saturday when he was struck by a vehicle on U.S. Route 22 West in Watchung, and later Saturday, investigators had already arrested a Piscataway man in connection with the crash. Police found the victim lying in the roadway near Mountain Avenue around 4:05 a.m. with injuries consistent with being hit by a car, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Watchung Police and the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit identified the driver as 32-year-old Daniel Cole, according to prosecutors. Detectives obtained Superior Court search warrants for Cole, his Piscataway residence, and his vehicle, a process detailed by Shore News Network. That search turned up a Nissan Pathfinder with heavy front-end damage consistent with a collision, sitting at Cole's home.
Cole was arrested at his Piscataway residence on Saturday, August 22, with the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit and Watchung Police Department carrying out the arrest with assistance from Piscataway Police. He was taken into custody without incident. He now faces charges of knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, as well as hindering apprehension, according to News12 Brooklyn.
What Cole Is Facing Under New Jersey Law
The leaving-the-scene charge is a second-degree offense under N.J.S.A. 2C:11-5.1, which carries a mandatory state prison sentence of 5 to 10 years upon conviction, per the Aiello Harris Abate Law Group. The hindering apprehension charge, a third-degree crime under N.J.S.A. 2C:29-3, carries a potential penalty of 3 to 5 years in state prison, according to William Proetta Criminal Law. Second-degree offenses in New Jersey carry a legal presumption of state imprisonment.
Following his arrest, Cole was lodged in the Somerset County Jail in Somerville to await a Superior Court detention hearing, RLS Media reports.
Investigation Still Pending Autopsy, Reconstruction Results
The Northern Regional Medical Examiner's Office responded to the crash site alongside the Somerset County Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team to evaluate the fatal collision. Authorities say the investigation remains ongoing, with autopsy findings and a final crash reconstruction analysis still pending. It is not yet known why the Brooklyn man was walking along Route 22 at that hour, nor has the exact speed or manner of driving involved been disclosed.
The fatal crash occurred on the stretch of Route 22 running through Watchung.
The article also discusses pedestrian and traffic safety in New Jersey.
Somerset County authorities are asking anyone with information about the crash to come forward. Tips can be submitted through the SCPO.TIPS website, the STOPit app, or by calling the Somerset County Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS.
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