WATCHUNG, N.J. — A Piscataway man has been arrested and charged in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a Brooklyn, New York, resident on U.S. Route 22 West early Saturday morning.
According to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, Watchung police were dispatched at approximately 4:05 a.m. Saturday after receiving reports of a pedestrian struck on Route 22 West near Mountain Avenue. Officers found a 56-year-old Brooklyn man in the roadway suffering from injuries consistent with being hit by a vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigation leads detectives to suspect
The Somerset County Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team, detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Watchung Police Department, and investigators from the Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office responded to investigate the fatal crash.
Detectives identified the suspected vehicle as a Nissan Pathfinder allegedly driven by Daniel Cole, 32, of Piscataway. Investigators obtained Superior Court search warrants for Cole, his residence, and the vehicle, which was located at his home with what authorities described as heavy front-end damage consistent with the collision.
- Fatal crash occurred around 4:05 a.m. on U.S. Route 22 West near Mountain Avenue.
- Victim was identified as a 56-year-old man from Brooklyn, New York.
- Daniel Cole, 32, of Piscataway was charged following the investigation.
Charges filed after arrest
Authorities said Cole was taken into custody at his residence on Aug. 22 without incident by members of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Watchung Police Department, with assistance from the Piscataway Police Department.
Cole was charged with second-degree knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and third-degree hindering apprehension. He was lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a court hearing.
The investigation remains active pending the results of the victim’s autopsy and the final findings of the Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office at (908) 231-7100 or the Watchung Police Department at (908) 756-3663. Anonymous tips may also be submitted through the STOPit app, the Somerset County Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477), or online at SCPO.TIPS.
Sources: Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office https://www.co.somerset.nj.us/government/prosecutor-s-office • Watchung Police Department https://www.watchungnj.gov/police