Fair Lawn Man Runs Over Man With Car Following Altercation: Police

FAIR LAWN, NJ — A borough man was charged with aggravated assault and he allegedly ran over a man following an altercation early Saturday morning.

David Rodriguez, 21, was arrested after police responded to a report of a pedestrian struck on Plaza Road at Fair Lawn Avenue at 3:14 a.m., Sgt. Brian Metzler said.

Police found a 29-year-old Park Ridge man on the ground with "significant lower body injuries;" witnesses said they were crossing Plaza Road at High Street when they were almost hit by a blue 2006 Volkswagen Jetta, Metzler said.

When the Jetta stopped at a red light on Plaza Road the group approached the car and an altercation between the victim and a passenger occurred, police said.

The passenger pushed the victim down to the ground and got back in the vehicle; the driver then proceeded to run over the man and fled the scene, Metzler said.

A bystander reported to police investigating the incident that people involved in the incident may have been in the parking lot in front of the Wells Fargo bank on Fair Lawn Avenue, Metzler said.

Two police officers approached the vehicle, but the driver did not listen and attempted to flee the scene in reverse, the sergeant said.

Once the vehicle stopped, police got the four people out of the vehicle at gunpoint; Rodriguez, one of the passengers, was arrested and a second passenger, Danial Dushaj, 21, of Dix Hills, New York, was arrested when he did not listen to the officer's commands, Metzler said.

The Volkswagen was found at Rodriguez's Hartley Place home and impounded; the victim was taken to St. Joseph's Medical Center in Paterson.

Rodriguez was charged with second-degree aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of an injured person, leaving the scene of a crash with injury, failure to report a crash, reckless driving, careless driving, failure to produce vehicle documents and failure to inspect, Metzler said.

Rodriguez is currently being held at Fair Lawn Police Headquarters and will be sent to the Bergen County Jail later today, the sergeant said.

Dushaj, who was found with marijuana after his arrest, was released, Metzler said. He was charged with obstruction of justice and possession of a controlled dangerous substance.

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