All southbound lanes of Route 208 in Fair Lawn were shut down Monday night, Nov. 2, as crews responded to a crash investigation near Route 4. The closure came as the Bergen County corridor headed into its nightly rush; authorities said an adult woman was struck and suffered serious, life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital.
According to northjersey.com, the closure was announced just after 10 p.m. by the New Jersey Department of Transportation's 511nj.org traffic alert system. The outlet reported that the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said an adult woman was struck, suffered serious, life-threatening injuries and was taken to a local hospital.
A separate report from Daily Voice described the incident as an apparent pedestrian crash that occurred Monday night across from the Hyatt Place hotel, with a black SUV believed to be the vehicle involved. That account, citing preliminary and unconfirmed reports, said CPR was performed on the victim, who was rushed to the hospital, and that the Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Investigations Crime Scene Unit was investigating. Those details have not been independently verified, and the outlet's own report remains developing.
A Stretch of Route 208 With a Troubled History
This is not the first time pedestrians have been hurt or killed trying to navigate traffic along Route 208 in Fair Lawn. In April 2019, a 12-year-old boy was struck and killed by a Bergen County sheriff's officer as he and several others attempted to cross the highway, per northjersey.com. The SUV involved was marked and driven by Officer Michael Sansevere, according to Patch, which reported that no charges were ultimately filed in that case.
More recently, a 70-year-old man was struck and injured near Plaza Drive and Route 208 in July 2024, just before 7:30 p.m. He was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, according to randspear.com. That crash, like Monday's, unfolded along the same busy roadway that cuts through the heart of Fair Lawn.
What Remains Unknown
As of Monday night, no official statement from police or the sheriff's office detailing the investigation's findings or when the roadway reopened had been made public. The scope of the closure and its cause were still being pieced together, and this story is expected to be updated as more information becomes available.
