Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department announced today that a driver has been charged in the bicycle fatality in which a man from Edison was killed on August 9.
Officials say Mark Franklin, 52, of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, was arrested and charged on August 9 for driving with a suspended license and causing the death of another person in the third degree. He also has been issued additional motor vehicle summonses.
The deceased bicyclist was identified as Rodney Kukuc, 67, of Edison. He was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick where he was pronounced dead from the injuries he sustained in the crash.
During the investigation, it was determined that Franklin was driving a Dodge Ram on Route 1 South and was making a left-hand turn when he struck the victim’s bicycle that was in the crosswalk. Both the driver and the bicyclist had a green light.
The investigation is active and is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Joseph Chonka of the Edison Police Department at (732) 248-7400, or Detective Erik Larsen of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-3263.
As is the case with all criminal defendants, the charge against Franklin is merely an accusation and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.