A Jersey City man has been charged in a fatal North Bergen hit-and-run that occurred on Friday evening, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Julian Palacios, 30, of Jersey City, is charged with knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision resulting in death and obstruction, Suarez said in a statement.
Palacios was arrested in Long Branch and is in custody at a local medical facility. When cleared, he will be transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility pending his first court appearance.
At approximately 9 p.m., the North Bergen Police Department was notified of a motorcycle, with no apparent operator, lying in the road in the area of Granton Avenue and Liberty Avenue.
Responding officers located an injured man, later identified as Joshua Huayamave, 23, of North Bergen – on 76th Street between Cottage Avenue and Tonnelle Avenue, several blocks from the motorcycle.
Huayamave was transported by Emergency Medical Services to Palisades Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at approximately 9:40 p.m.
The preliminary investigation found Palacios was operating a blue Honda Civic and was involved in a collision with a motorcycle operated by Huayamave. Palacios did not remain at the scene.
Joseph R. Kennedy, who said he was a witness to the accident, claims that people at the scene saw Huayamave get hit by the car behind him “and disappear under the fender of it.”
Suarez credited the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and the North Bergen Police Department with the investigation and arrest.
I hope justice is served. Five days have passed since the accident and there is no way for investigators to test the alcohol level on the suspect anymore. The suspect knew this and that’s why he went missing for 5 days and obstructed with the investigation. Shame on him and anyone who covered this up.