Late on Sunday night, a drunk motorist in New Brunswick struck a 25-year-old man.
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — A drunk driver struck a 25-year-old man late Sunday night in New Brunswick, then fled the scene before being taken into custody, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and New Brunswick Police Chief Vincent Sabo.
The vehicle hit the young man at 1:24 a.m. Monday on the 100 block of Jersey Avenue. Police were called to the scene following a report of a hit-and-run pedestrian. Upon arrival, officers found the victim, who had sustained critical injuries. (He is not a Rutgers student.)
He was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where his condition remained critical as of Monday afternoon.
Authorities determined that the vehicle was driven by 31-year-old Abel Bustos-Medel of New Brunswick, who left the scene after striking the man on Jersey Avenue. The vehicle was later spotted on Livingston Avenue with damage consistent with a pedestrian collision.
Bustos-Medel was taken into custody and charged with driving under the influence, third-degree leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury, and third-degree assault by auto.
Anyone with information or surveillance footage from the area is asked to contact Officer Mark Smith of the New Brunswick Police Department at 732-745-5005 or Sergeant Jonathan Berman of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-4328.
Sergeant Berman and Officer Smith are leading the investigation.