MONROE TOWNSHIP, N.J. – Two days after a motorcyclist was seriously hurt and the other vehicle disappeared from a Monroe Township road, police say they found the SUV they had been looking for.
Police and community members never gave up searching.
Now, justice can be served for the victim.
The discovery Tuesday afternoon led detectives to Maryann Helge, 85, of Monroe Township. She now faces criminal and motor vehicle charges in the Sept. 6 hit-and-run on Union Valley Half Acre Road, while the injured rider remains hospitalized in New Brunswick.
Police Find White Honda CR-V Two Days After Crash
The crash happened around 4:35 p.m. Sunday near North Pondview Boulevard. The motorcyclist, a 75-year-old Monroe Township man whose name has not been released, was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.
Investigators from the Monroe Township Police Department Detective Bureau and Traffic Safety Division spent the next two days trying to identify the vehicle that police said had left the scene.
They found what they were looking for Tuesday.
“Following an extensive investigation by members of the Monroe Township Police Department Detective Bureau and Traffic Safety Division, investigators located the vehicle believed to have been involved in the crash and subsequently left the scene,” the department said.
Police identified the vehicle as a white 2020 Honda CR-V and Helge as its driver. The department did not disclose where detectives found the SUV or what evidence led them to it.
The injured motorcyclist, meanwhile, remains at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital. Police said his condition is now stable.
Helge Faces Four Charges
Two of the charges against Helge are criminal offenses: knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in serious bodily injury and endangering an injured victim.
She was also charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in personal injury and failure to report a motor vehicle accident, both motor vehicle offenses.
Police credited the public with helping detectives during the two-day search.
The department thanked “members of the public who provided information and assistance during this investigation,” while also recognizing detectives and Traffic Safety Division investigators for work that police said led them to the vehicle and driver.
The investigation isn’t finished with Helge’s identification.
Officer Marc Tyson of the Traffic Safety Division continues to handle the crash investigation, and police are still asking to hear from anyone who may have additional information. Tyson can be reached at 732-521-0222, extension 254.
