Newark Man Jailed: Hit and Run Left Bloomfield News Cameraman With Both Legs Amputated

A Superior Court judge sentenced an Essex County man to a year in prison on Monday for his role in a hit and run accident that resulted in the amputation of both a 56-year-old Bloomfield man’s legs.

According to prosecutors, the victim, Robert Hiner, was a cameraman for a major news organization for over 35 years.

He was struck while walking near Municipal Plaza and Franklin Street in Bloomfield on Jan. 5.

According to prosecutors, the motorist, Jose Cruz, 59, of Newark, was driving an unregistered commercial dump truck with no insurance.

He fled the scene of the accident after striking Hiner, prosecutors stated.

Several days later, Cruz was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving an injured person, a third-degree offense which carries a maximum penalty of one-year incarceration, according to Assistant Prosecutor Eileen O’Connor, who handled the case.

Cruz pleaded guilty on June 18, admitting that he knowingly striking the pedestrian and fleeing the scene, prosecutors stated.

Hiner, who is still in a rehabilitation center was not physically able to attend the sentencing, but sent the court a videotaped statement detailing how the accident had changed his life, prosecutors stated.

“This case underscores the importance of remaining at the scene of a motor vehicle accident no matter what the circumstances,’’ said Assistant Prosecutor Eileen O’Connor, who commended the Bloomfield Police Department for doing an extensive investigation to locate the vehicle involved.