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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 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.
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, whose detectives are leading the investigation, issued a brief statement late Saturday morning confirming the fatal crash:
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit is investigating a hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian that occurred on Route 46 in Ridgefield Park, NJ on Friday, April 7, 2023, at approximately 11:10 p.m. The pedestrian involved in this crash has died.
The investigation is being conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love and the Ridgefield Park Police Department under the direction of Chief Joseph Rella. No additional information is available at this time.
ANYONE who witnessed the incident or has information that can help identify the hit-and-run driver or vehicle is asked to contact the prosecutor's tip line: (201) 226-5532.
Kyle Mazza/UNF News took the photos and contributed to this article.
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