By: Richard L. Smith
A Union City man has been arrested and charged in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a Hoboken resident late last year, according to information released by Hudson County Prosecutor Wayne Mello.
Wilson Sanchez, 36, was arrested on May 29 by members of the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit.
He is charged with second-degree knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision resulting in death, third-degree endangering an injured victim, and fourth-degree obstruction.
Authorities said Sanchez was taken into custody at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Secaucus and transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility pending his first court appearance.
The charges stem from a crash that occurred at approximately 8 p.m. on December 29, 2025. Jersey City police responded to reports of a possible pedestrian struck on Tonnelle Avenue near North Street.
When officers arrived, they discovered the body of a man lying on the northbound side of the roadway.
The victim, later identified as Margarito Avendano-Sanchez, 63, of Hoboken, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators determined that the vehicle involved in the collision fled the area without stopping or rendering aid to the victim.
Following a months-long investigation by the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit, authorities identified Sanchez as the driver allegedly involved in the fatal crash.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.
Anyone with additional information is urged to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.