Press Release

Press Releases << PATERSON, NJ MAN CHARGED WITH LEAVING THE SCENE OF A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT RESULTING IN DEATH, ENDANGERING AN INJURED VICTIM AND HINDERING APPREHENSION

For Immediate Release:
February 1, 2023

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of DAVID ROMERO (DOB: 11/22/1998; single; factory worker) of 594 E. 39th Street, Paterson, NJ for leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, endangering an injured victim, and hindering apprehension. The charges are the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Jason Love and the Glen Rock Police Department under the direction of Chief Dean Ackermann.

At approximately 6:38 a.m., on Monday, January 30, 2023, the Glen Rock Police Department responded to a report of a hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian that occurred on Lincoln Avenue in Glen Rock, NJ. The pedestrian, 83-year-old Angela Sanzari of Hawthorne, NJ, was transported to The Valley Hospital where she was pronounced deceased as a result of the injuries she sustained during the collision.

An investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and the Glen Rock Police Department revealed that a dark-colored Honda CRV had struck the victim as she crossed Lincoln Avenue, gravely injuring her, and subsequently fled the area prior to police arrival.

On February 1, 2023, Glen Rock Police Sergeant Michael Trover conducted a motor vehicle stop of a 2007 Honda CRV operated by DAVID ROMERO, and an investigation revealed that ROMERO was the individual who had struck the victim. He was charged with second-degree leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, N.J.S.A. 2C:11-5.1; third-degree endangering an injured victim, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1.2; and third-degree hindering apprehension, N.J.S.A. 2C:29-3b(1). He was also served with multiple motor vehicle summonses for violations related to the hit-and-run crash. ROMERO was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ.

Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and he would also like to thank the Glen Rock Police Department and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance in this investigation.