FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Raymond Worrall
PHONE: (201) 795-6400 Ext. 6737
EMAIL: rworrall@hcpo.org
TWITTER: @HCPOProsecutor
WEB: hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org
DATE: Monday, April 23, 2018
TWO ARRESTED AND CHARGED IN JERSEY CITY HIT-AND-RUN
Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez released the following information:
Two individuals have been arrested and charged by members of the Hudson County Regional Fatal Collision Unit for their involvement in a recent hit-and-run collision with a pedestrian in Jersey City.
On Sunday, March 18, at approximately 8:15 p.m., the Jersey City Police Department received a report of a pedestrian struck at Boyd and West Side avenues in Jersey City. Responding Police Officers found a female pedestrian had been struck by a motor vehicle at that location. The pedestrian was transported by Emergency Medical Services to Jersey City Medical Center where she was treated for multiple injuries.
The investigation found that the pedestrian had been struck by a 2017 Jeep that left the scene of the accident. Upon locating the vehicle, investigators found that the damage had recently been repaired in an attempt to conceal the fact that it was involved in a collision.
On April 19, 2018, at approximately 3:35 p.m., Julius Smith, age 39, of Jersey City, turned himself in without incident to members of the Fatal Collision Unit at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office. He was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny following his arrest.
Smith was charged with Knowingly Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Accident Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in violation of N.J.S. 2C:12-1.1, a third-degree crime; Hindering Apprehension or Prosecution by way of Concealment or Destruction of Evidence in violation of N.J.S. 2C:29-3, a fourth-degree crime; and Tampering With Physical Evidence in violation of N.J.S. 2C:28-6, a fourth-degree crime.
Also, on April 19, 2018, at approximately 8:45 a.m., Shakira Stuckey, age 38, of Jersey City, was arrested without incident by members of the Fatal Collision Unit on Communipaw Avenue in Jersey City. She was released on her own recognizance with her first appearance scheduled for 10 a.m. on May 8, 2019 in Central Judicial Processing Court in Jersey City.
Stuckey was charged with Hindering Apprehension or Prosecution by way of Concealment or Destruction of Evidence in violation of N.J.S. 2C:29-3, a fourth-degree crime; and Tampering With Physical Evidence in violation of N.J.S. 2C:28-6, a fourth-degree crime.
Prosecutor Suarez credited the Hudson County Regional Fatal Collision Unit for the arrest, and the Jersey City Police Department for assisting with the investigation.
The above charges are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. R.P.C.3.6(b)(6).