A 46-year-old Bellmawr man faces charges in connection with the death of a 73-year-old woman struck by a car on Blue Bell Road in Monroe Township. Police say the driver left his vehicle at a nearby convenience store and fled on foot into the woods before a police dog tracked him down.
Shaun D. Fennimore is accused of striking Margaret M. Flail with his car on Blue Bell Road, according to NJ.com. Paramedics took Flail to Jefferson Washington Township Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, the outlet reports. The reported response time varies: NJ.com says Monroe Township police responded at 5:47 p.m., while Patch says officers responded at around 5:50 p.m. to a report of a woman struck by a car.
Statewide pedestrian fatality context
According to the New Jersey State Police's 2023 fatal-crash report, 171 pedestrians died in crashes statewide that year. That statewide figure does not establish a trend or explain this crash, and it does not answer how pedestrian deaths or serious pedestrian crashes have changed in Gloucester County.
Driver Allegedly Fled on Foot Into the Woods
According to the report, Fennimore allegedly left his vehicle at a Heritage Dairy Store after the collision and fled. The complaint cited in the report says surveillance footage showed him running away. Patch reports that a K-9 named Cairo tracked Fennimore in a wooded area near Clayton Avenue and Railroad Avenue, where he was taken into custody.
Patch reports that Fennimore was arrested Thursday after police said his car fatally struck Flail while he was driving with a suspended license. He was taken to Salem County Jail.
Suspect Allegedly Admitted Drug Use Hours Before Crash
The complaint says Fennimore told investigators he struck what he believed was a pedestrian and fled because his driver's license was suspended. He also said he used methamphetamine between 3 and 4 a.m. that Thursday, according to the station's account of the complaint. Police obtained a warrant to test his blood and urine; the results were pending, the county prosecutor said.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office announced that Fennimore faces two charges: second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal accident and third-degree driving with a suspended license. If convicted on both charges, he faces up to 15 years in state prison, according to the prosecutor's office. Court records do not list an attorney for Fennimore, the report notes.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office announced that Fennimore faces two charges: second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal accident and third-degree driving with a suspended license. He faces up to 15 years in state prison if convicted on both charges, according to the prosecutor's office. Court records do not list an attorney for Fennimore, the report notes.
