By: Richard L. Smith
Bergen County authorities have arrested a 67-year-old Fair Lawn woman following a hit-and-run crash that left a 5-year-old boy seriously injured and his mother hurt Tuesday morning.
According to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, Maritza Salazar-Perez was charged following an investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Fair Lawn Police Department.
Police responded at approximately 6:34 a.m. Tuesday to the intersection of Broadway and Fair Lawn Parkway at 32nd Street after receiving reports that two pedestrians had been struck by a vehicle.
Officers arriving at the scene found a 47-year-old woman and her 5-year-old son injured. Both were transported to an area hospital in stable condition.
Authorities said the woman suffered minor injuries, while her son sustained serious injuries.
Investigators said the driver involved in the collision left the area without notifying police.
Detectives and accident investigators from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Task Force joined Fair Lawn Police in investigating the crash, with assistance from the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office.
According to Prosecutor Musella, investigators determined that a 2011 Honda Pilot, allegedly driven by Salazar-Perez, was making a left turn from 32nd Street onto Broadway when it struck the mother and child as they were crossing Broadway in a marked crosswalk.
Authorities allege Salazar-Perez then left the scene.
Investigators located the Honda within hours of the crash, and Salazar-Perez was taken into custody by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Fair Lawn Police Department.
She was charged with knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury, endangering an injured victim and related motor vehicle offenses.
Salazar-Perez was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending her first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack.