By: Richard L. Smith
Authorities in Ocean County have charged a Jackson Township man in connection with a hit-and-run crash that left a minor seriously injured Friday night.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Jose Perez-Parada, 35, has been charged with knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash resulting in serious bodily injury following the March 27 incident.
According to investigators, the crash occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. in the area of Hope Chapel Road and Hope Hill Lane in Lakewood.
Officers from the Lakewood Township Police Department responded to reports of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle that fled the scene.
A joint investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit Vehicular Homicide Squad, Lakewood Police, and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit determined that a Hyundai Elantra traveling northbound struck a minor pedestrian before leaving the area without stopping.
The young victim was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where officials say the child remains in critical but stable condition.
Authorities later identified Perez-Parada as the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash. He was taken into custody at Lakewood Township Police Headquarters and lodged in the Ocean County Jail, where he is being held pending a detention hearing.
The investigation remains ongoing.