Owner of car involved in last year’s fatal North Bergen hit-and-run arrested

Members of the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office and North Bergen police arrested the owner of the vehicle involved in the fatal hit-and-run accident near Shuetzen Park that occurred back in November, Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari announced. 

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

Yesterday afternoon, members of the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office Crash Investigation Unit and the North Bergen Police Department Major Case Squad arrested Sergio Ferreyra, 28, of North Arlington, at his home on Stevens Avenue without incident.

Ferreyra owned the 2010 Nissan Rogue that was driven by Rogelio Chavex-Tacen when he struck Michael and Adrian Vireut last November while they were walking home from the movies on Kennedy Boulevard, near Columbia Park, in North Bergen and fled the scene.

Adrian was impaled on a wrought iron fence and Michael lost his right leg and eventually died from his injuries on December 4th 2014, minutes after Chavex-Tacen was arrested.

The Sheriff’s Office was able to track Mr. Tacen’s cellular phone with the assistance of the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service. Tacen was eventually arrested by U.S. Marshals while hiding under a bed in Maryland.

The township of North Bergen honored the law enforcement officers involved in the case in a ceremony held back in January.

The members of the Crash Investigation Unit & NBPD Major Case Squad worked for months and pieced together how Ferreyra knew of the accident as well as his involvement, according to Schillari.

Following the incident, Ferreyra allegedly instructed Tacen to hide the car and to clean and fix the damages.

Additionally, Ferreyra is accused of committing insurance fraud with his vehicles insurance. On November 19th, 2014, after the Nissan Rogue was found covered by a tarp at 144 72nd Street,  Ferreyra went to the North Bergen Police and tried to report the car stolen, officials said.

The investigating officers presented the case to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, who in turn presented it to a grand jury where they found enough evidence to issue a warrant that was signed by a judge yesterday morning, authorities said.

Ferreyra is charged with two counts of hindering, one count of filing false police reports, one count of insurance fraud and 1 count of obstructing a governmental function, Schillari said.

Michael Viruet, Sr., Michael Viruet, Jr.’s father, told Hudson County View last year that he will go to the grave saying his “son is a hero,” more recently hosting a pro wrestling show in Union City to honor his son.