Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced that ARDIAN HOTI (DOB: 5/11/1998; single; restaurant employee) of 109 Hobart Street, Ridgefield Park, NJ; FERO HOTI (DOB: 04/01/1997; single; unemployed) of 109 Hobart Street, Ridgefield Park, NJ; JULIO PENA (DOB: 3/01/1998; single; unemployed) of 73 Hackensack Avenue, Ridgefield Park, NJ; CHRISTIAN REYES (DOB: 10/14/1998; single; sales representative) of 12 East Winant Avenue, Ridgefield Park, NJ; and KEVIN AGUDELO (DOB: 12/23/1998; single; retail sales) of 132 Teaneck Road, Ridgefield Park, NJ have been charged with Aggravated Manslaughter and Endangering an Injured Victim. The charges are the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office under the direction of Sheriff Anthony Cureton.
On Saturday, May 22, 2021, at approximately 3:40 AM, the Lodi Police Department and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office were notified that a motor vehicle had struck a person in the area of 240 Route 17 South. The victim, later identified as 38-year-old Marko Guberovic of Fair Lawn, was pronounced dead at the scene. The Sheriff’s Office contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit. The ensuing investigation revealed that ARDIAN HOTI, FERO HOTI, PENA, REYES, and AGUDELO engaged in a physical altercation with the victim. As a result of the altercation, the victim became incapacitated in the left lane of Route 17 South. Subsequently, ARDIAN HOTI, FERO HOTI, PENA, REYES, and AGUDELO returned to their vehicle, leaving the victim in the roadway. Shortly thereafter, the victim was struck by a red 2020 BMW M8 resulting in his death. ARDIAN HOTI, FERO HOTI, PENA, REYES, and AGUDELO then fled the scene.
As a result of the investigation, on Sunday, May 23, 2021, JULIO PENA, CHRISTIAN REYES, and KEVIN AGUDELO were arrested in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, and ARDIAN HOTI and FERO HOTI were arrested in West Hempstead, New York. All five were charged with one count of Aggravated Manslaughter, N.J.S.A. 2C:11-4a(1), a 1st degree crime; and one count of Endangering An Injured Victim, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1.2, a 3rd degree crime. PENA, REYES, and AGUDELO were remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance at the Bergen County Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, New Jersey. ARDIAN HOTI and FERO HOTI were remanded to the custody of the Nassau County Correctional Center pending extradition proceedings.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and would also like to thank the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office and the Lodi Police Department for their assistance in this investigation.