A 29-year-old Kearny man has been arrested for a fatal hit-and-run that killed a 57-year-old Lyndhurst man last week, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
On Thursday, October 10th, at approximately 9:49 p.m., the Lyndhurst Police Department received a 911 call reporting that a pedestrian was struck by a motor vehicle, Musella said in a statement.
The pedestrian, who was identified as George Arnold, 57, of Lyndhurst, was pronounced dead at the scene.
From there, the Lyndhurst PD notified the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit, which responded to the scene and initiated a joint investigation.
The investigation revealed that a 2020 Honda Civic struck the victim as he was attempting to cross Ridge Road near the intersection of Milton Avenue.
Following the crash, the Honda fled the scene of the accident. Detectives identified Steveen Novillo-Cabrera, 29, of Kearny, as the driver of the Honda and determined that he attempted to repair the vehicle after the collision to conceal his involvement in the incident.
As a result of the investigation, on Friday, October 11th, Novillo-Cabrera was arrested in Lyndhurst and charged with knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, hindering apprehension, endangering an injured victim, and tampering with evidence, as well as related motor vehicle offenses.
He was transported to Bergen County Jail pending his appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack.
The arrest was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck, and the Lyndhurst Police Department, under the direction of Chief Richard Jarvis.
