Hackensack Man, 21, Killed In Grisly Route 46 Hit And Run ID'd, Search For Car Continues

UPDATE: A pedestrian who was struck and killed by a late-night hit-and-run driver on Route 46 last week was identified Tuesday as a 21-year-old Hackensack resident.

Jossy Israel Laguna-Matamoros, 21, was struck on eastbound Route 46 (Winant Avenue) near Ridgefield Avenue shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, April 1, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella.
Photo Credit: *BACKGROUND: Kyle Mazza / INSET: FACEBOOK*

The victim was struck first in Route 46's eastbound lanes, then on the west side before he ended up pinned beneath a Tesla.
Photo Credit: *Kyle Mazza/UNF News for DAILY VOICE*

Jerry DeMarco

04/11/2023 5:30 p.m.

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said authorities were still searching for the driver who kept going after his or her vehicle struck Jossy Israel Laguna-Matamoros on eastbound Route 46 (Winant Avenue) near Ridgefield Avenue in Ridgefield Park shortly after 11 p.m. Friday, April 7.

Laguna-Matamoros was then struck, pinned and dragged beneath a Tesla in the westbound lanes, responders said.

Firefighters raised the vehicle to free Laguna-Matamoros, who was pronounced dead at the scene soon after.

The search for the first vehicle continued Tuesday.

Musella asked that anyone who might have witnessed the fatal crash or has information that can help identify the hit-and-run driver or vehicle contact his tip line: (201) 226-5532.

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NOTES: The highway was reopened on both sides around 4 a.m…. Among the responders were the Bergen County Prosecutor's Fatal Accident Investigations Unit, the Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification -- which collected evidence -- and the Bergen County Medical Examiner's Office, which took the body….Also responding were local police and the state Department of Transportation.

Kyle Mazza/UNF News took the photos and contributed to this article.

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