Police spotted a suspect while reviewing surveillance video in the area.
LEONIA -- A Fort Lee man faces several charges after police said he struck a 78-year-old man with his SUV and fled the scene Monday.
The victim, who was in a wheelchair, was trying to cross the Leonia Avenue intersection when he was struck by a vehicle traveling east on Fort Lee Road. The victim was thrown about 20 feet and suffered several broken bones, Chief of Police Thomas P. Rowe said in a statement.
Thomas J. Malatesta (Leonia police) On Tuesday, Det. Michael Jennings and Det. Sgt. Christopher Garris were reviewing video footage and were canvassing the area looking for other cameras when a maroon, 2016 Buick Encore pulled into a parking space at 135 Fort Lee Road around 12:30 p.m. The truck had recently sustained front-end damage and was missing the front skid plate, Rowe said in a statement.
Thomas J. Malatesta, 53, was taken into custody and interviewed at police headquarters, where he admitted he hit the man and left without calling 911, Rowe said.
Malatesta faces charges of knowingly leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury and endangering an injured victim. He has also been issued motor-vehicle summonses for reckless driving, failure to stop for a pedestrian and leaving the scene of an accident.
Police hunt driver in Leonia hit-and-run
Malatesta was released pending a Superior Court appearance Aug. 31.
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