SOUTH RIVER, NJ – Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Mark Tinitigan of the South River Police Department have announced the arrest and charging of a South River resident in connection with a hit and run incident that resulted in a fatality on July 7.
At approximately 4:21 PM, the South River police received a report of a crash at the intersection of Whitehead Avenue and Russell Avenue.
Upon arriving at the scene, law enforcement officers discovered the victim, a 14-year-old boy, who had been struck by a white work van while riding his bicycle. The driver of the white work van fled the scene after the collision. The victim was transported to the hospital, where he tragically succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.
Following an investigation conducted by Detective Sergeant John Kenney of the South River Police Department and Sergeant Jonathan Berman of The Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, Michael Arena, a 63-year-old resident of South River, was identified as the suspect responsible for the incident.
On July 7, 2023, Arena was apprehended at his residence for questioning, during which he confessed to driving the vehicle at the time of the crash. Arena has subsequently been arrested and charged with Aggravated Manslaughter and Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Motor Vehicle Crash.
He is presently in custody at the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center, awaiting a pre-trial detention hearing in Superior Court.