Driver Charged In Hoboken Hit-And-Run: Police

HOBOKEN, NJ — A 25-year-old Passaic County man was arrested on Tuesday in connection with a hit-and-run crash that sent a Hoboken woman to the hospital, police said.

Andrii Gustal of Haskell was charged in the Oct. 3 crash at the intersection of 15th and Hudson streets. READ MORE: Woman Injured In Hit-And-Run While Walking Dog

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At approximately 12:55 a.m., police say, they responded to the corner. They determined that a Hoboken resident was struck while she was crossing 15th Street. The driver left in a dark colored SUV.

A follow-up investigation conducted by Det. Sgt. William Collins, Det. Connor Milne, Det. Anthony Azzoline, and Det. Nicholas Protopapadakis of the Detective Bureau/Street Crimes Unit identified Gustal as the driver, police said.

He was arrested at home on Tuesday and charged with assault by auto, knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury, endangering an injured victim, and obstructing the administration of the law.

He was also issued motor vehicle summonses for failure to stop at a stop sign, failure to yield to a pedestrian, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, and failure to report an accident.

After being processed at Hoboken Police headquarters, Gutsal was released from custody on a summons.

"I would personally like to thank the officers who responded quickly to the scene the night of the crash, as well as the entire team of investigators whose work led to an identification and arrest of a suspect in a case that affected the entire Hoboken community," said Police Chief Steven Aguiar. "Leaving the scene after hitting a pedestrian is a serious crime and I'm grateful for the thorough work and dedication that led to this arrest."

The victim, who was taken to an area hospital by the Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Corps on the night of the crash, has since been released.

She was walking her dog at the time of the crash. The dog was temporarily cared for by a family friend.

"I am thankful for the hard work and dedication of the police department in ensuring the driver is brought to justice," said Mayor Emily Jabbour. "I am grateful that our neighbor was treated quickly and continues to recover at home. This horrible incident only reinforces Hoboken's ongoing commitment to road safety and eliminating all traffic deaths and injuries by 2030."

She added, "In response to this near-tragedy, the city has already implemented safety improvements in the area and will continue working with residents and HPD to identify additional opportunities to improve safety throughout Hoboken."

The city has added an LED flashing stop sign, reflective pavement markings and signage, including stop signs and crosswalk markings to improve nighttime visibility, daylighting using flexible delineators at the corners, and new pedestrian crossing signage. The city will also add traffic calming measures to 15th Street in the coming weeks.

PRIOR REPORTING: Turn Yourself In, Say Hoboken Police To Hit-And-Run Driver Who Injured Woman