Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced that Ardian Hoti, 23, Fero Hoti, 24, Julio Pena, 23, Christian Reyes, 22, and Kevin Agudelo, 22, all of Ridgefield Park 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 and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office.
According to county officials on Saturday, May 22, at approximately 3:40 a.m., 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.
Police said that 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.
According to the investigation, 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.
According to police, 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, Pena, Reyes, and Agudelo were arrested in Ridgefield Park, and Ardian Hoti and Fero Hoti were arrested in West Hempstead, New York.
All five were charged with one count of Aggravated Manslaughter and one count of Endangering An Injured Victim. 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.