A 21-year-old Edison man involved in a fatal hit-and-run crash in Kearny over the weekend was released from custody during his first court appearance.
According to officials, 21-year-old Niraji Patel, of Edison, accused of hitting Naphtali Dykes, 30, on Route 1 and 9 Saturday morning was released from jail after the state did not file to detain him.
According to the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office, on March 10th, at approximately 1:55 a.m., the Kearny Police Department received a report of a male pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle, and lying in a lifeless condition in the center of Old Lincoln Highway (Routes 1 & 9) in Kearny.
Authorities said responding officers found the victim, later identified as Mr. Naphtali Dykes, 30, of East Orange, at that location.
Motorist traveling on the roadway that morning told RLS Metro Breaking News that after being struck by the first vehicle, Dykes attempted to get up after falling to the ground when at least two other cars struck him.
Medics arrived to pronounce Dykes dead at the scene just before 2:20 a.m. authorities said.
Upon arrival, detectives from the Hudson County Regional Fatal Collision Unit identified a male driver who remained at the scene after noticing that he had inadvertently driven over the victim. Authorities say that driver is not being charged at this time.
Upon inspection of the crash scene, detectives discovered that another suspected vehicle was involved where a further investigation indicated the other suspected vehicle was located along with the alleged driver of the car who police identified as Niraj Patel, 21, of Edison.
Police charged Patel with Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Accident Resulting in Death in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-5.1, a second-degree crime.
The preliminary investigation also revealed that Dykes was released from the Hudson County Correctional Center located at 36 Hackensack Avenue in Kearny earlier that morning authorities said.