Group Of Union County Students Hit By Car While In Crosswalk

LINDEN, NJ — As students return to school, drivers are reminded to be on alert. In the past two days, four students in Union County have been hit by cars.

On Tuesday at about 8:50 a.m., a group of Linden High School students were hit by an SUV while walking in a crosswalk at the intersection of W. St. George Avenue and Ainsworth Street, said Linden Police Capt. Christopher Guenther.

A 14-year-old girl had serious, non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to Newark University Hospital. Two 15-year-old boys were also hit by the SUV. They were treated on scene for minor injuries, said Guenther.

Linden High School went into a shelter in place as a result of the crash.

A preliminary investigation found that the students were crossing the street in a marked crosswalk with posted Crossing Guards when a 2009 Nissan Rogue driving east on W. St. George Avenue drove into the intersection and hit the students, said Guenther.

The driver of the SUV, a 40-year-old man from Rahway, was not injured in the crash. He was arrested on scene for unrelated charges and later released pending an appearance in Newark Municipal Court.

The incident remains under investigation by the Linden Police Traffic Bureau, and anyone with
information about the crash is urged to contact Inv. John Halkias at 908-474-8505.

A similar incident happened in Scotch Plains on Monday at 2:41 p.m. where a 15-year-old Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School boy was hit by a car on Westfield Avenue near the high school, said Scotch Plains Police Capt. Jeff Briel. Read More: Scotch Plains Student Hit By Car, Flown To Hospital

Police found the boy in the roadway suffering from injuries to his head, legs and arms. An ambulance took him to the Scotch Plains Fanwood High School where a medevac helicopter flew him to University Hospital in Newark, said Briel.

The driver involved in the accident was driving a 2019 Honda and was not injured. This incident is still under investigation by the traffic bureau.

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