A six-year-old boy was struck and killed by a westbound vehicle on Black Horse Pike near Noah's Road in Pleasantville around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, on a stretch of roadway that expands to five lanes at the crash site. The child was pronounced dead at the scene after sustaining fatal injuries, and the driver, 31-year-old Pleasantville resident Antonio Bautista-Luis, remained at the scene and cooperated with responding officers.
The crash occurred at the intersection with Noah's Road, where Black Horse Pike — known officially as Routes 40/322 — widens to five lanes, according to WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM. Pleasantville Police Capt. Angelo Maldonado relayed details of the ongoing investigation, per New Jersey 101.5, confirming the boy was on foot in the roadway when he was struck. Witnesses at the scene also cooperated with police as the investigation got underway.
Maldonado serves as the unit commander of the Pleasantville Police Department's Community Engagement and Accountability Division, a role he stepped into after being promoted to captain in 2023 following his time as an operations lieutenant, according to department records. The circumstances of the crash — including why the child was on the highway at that hour and what role, if any, vehicle speed or lighting played — remain under investigation. Police have said additional information will be released as it becomes available and as appropriate.
A Corridor With a Grim History
The stretch of Black Horse Pike where the boy died sits at the western edge of what a 2022 MoneyGeek study, evaluating nearly 800 roadways statewide, identified as the deadliest 3.9-mile stretch of road in New Jersey — the segment of Routes 40/322 running from Atlantic City to Noah's Road in Pleasantville, the same WPG Talk Radio 95.5 FM report noted.
That danger has not been limited to adult drivers and pedestrians. A Rutgers University analysis of statewide crash data from 2016 through 2020 found that fatal bicycle and pedestrian crashes involving children and youth in Pleasantville were heavily concentrated on or near Route 322, according to a report hosted by Safe Routes NJ. Years earlier, the corridor had also drawn attention in discussions of pedestrian safety on the commercial highway.
Recent Crashes Along the Same Highway
The danger has continued to surface in recent months. In July, an Egg Harbor Township police patrol vehicle struck a 58-year-old Pleasantville resident crossing Black Horse Pike near Old Egg Harbor Road, with officers noting the pedestrian was crossing outside a marked crosswalk in a poorly lit area, per News 12 New Jersey. A separate report described a drunk-driving death involving a Stockton University student on Route 322 in Hamilton Township, as detailed in a report.
Further back, a 2024 multi-vehicle collision on Black Horse Pike in nearby Egg Harbor Township killed two people, including a 22-year-old Pleasantville resident, and left two child passengers critically injured in a head-on crash that triggered a vehicle fire, as reported by WHYY. That same year, a 59-year-old Pleasantville driver was issued a criminal summons for causing death while driving unlicensed after striking a pedestrian in a wheelchair at Delancy Avenue in Egg Harbor Township, according to reporting from personal injury firm Rand Spear.
State Safety Efforts and Legal Timelines
The state has taken some steps to address the corridor's hazards. Sidewalks and high-visibility crosswalks are part of the broader safety discussion along Black Horse Pike in Pleasantville.
Whether any civil or criminal proceedings will follow Sunday's crash remains unclear, as investigators have not indicated whether charges are being considered against Bautista-Luis. Legal guidance on New Jersey law notes that the standard two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims involving a minor generally pauses until that child turns 18, giving families extended time to weigh long-term legal options. Pleasantville police have said the investigation into the boy's death is ongoing.
