Piscataway Man Hit Pedestrian And Fled Scene, Say Police

WATCHUNG, NJ — A Piscataway man is criminally charged with hitting a pedestrian on U.S. highway 22 in Watchung, and then fleeing the scene.

Daniel Cole, 32, hit a 56-year-old Brooklyn man at 4:05 a.m. Saturday on Hwy. 22 west near Mountain Avenue, said McDonald, said Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald.

Police found the pedestrian in the roadway with injuries consistent with being struck by a motor vehicle.

The driver had fled the scene. The Brooklyn man was pronounced dead at the scene.

An accident reconstruction was done, and detectives with the Somerset County Prosecutor's office determined that Cole was driving a Nissan Pathfinder when he struck the man.

Detectives traced that Nissan back to Cole, and a Superior Court judge approved a search warrant for detectives to search his car and home.

The Nissan Pathfinder was located at Cole’s home in Piscataway and had heavy front-end damage consistent with a collision.

Cole was arrested that same day, Saturday, at his home and charged with second-degree Knowingly Leaving the Scene of an Accident that resulted in death and third-degree hindering his own apprehension.

Cole is currently being held in the Somerset County Jail pending his first hearing in court.

Anyone with information on this crash is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office at (908) 231-7100 or the Watchung Police Department at (908) 756-3663 or via the STOPit app. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477) or SCPO.TIPS. All anonymous STOPit reports and tips will be kept confidential.