BREAKING: Arrests In Fatal Hit-And-Run That Killed N.J. Girl, 7

A N.J. couple was arrested overnight in the death of a 7-year-old girl killed in a hit-and-run crash Monday as she was walking to school, according to authorities.

Fabian Rodriguez, 33, and Joanna Rosas-Alvarez, 26, were arrested and face charges in the wake of the girl's death, according to the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office.

Rodriguez, of Newark, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident connected to a fatality, knowingly leaving the scene of an accident that caused bodily harm and hindering apprehension. Rosas-Alvarez, also of Newark, was charged with hindering apprehension, according to authorities.

Rodriguez was in the SUV at the time of the strike, authorities said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

Shayla Pichardo, a student at P.S. 1 in West New York, was walking to school with her mother around 8:20 a.m. when they were both struck at the intersection of 61st Street and Van Buren Place, according to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.

The car was described as a large black Chevrolet Tahoe.

The girl was taken to Palisades Medical Center after the crash and was later pronounced dead. The girl’s mother was seriously injured, but her status was unclear, according to the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office.

Police officers were at the scene after the hit-and-run, and a small memorial shrine has been set up for the child.

After the crash, witnesses said, someone got out of the passenger side, looked at what happened, and got back into the vehicle before it sped away, CBS2’s Lou Young reported.

“If somebody saw something, whatever clue that you have, whatever that you saw please let us know because they cannot find the guy,” family friend Paula Osario told the station.

Family friends said Monday night that they wanted the driver to know how they felt, according to WABC-TV:

"If you see, coward, if you see whoever, if you're there watching, please show yourself," family friend Paula Ossario told the station. "If you have a heart, something that is pumping in your body, show yourself. It's not fair. You took the life of an angel...If I tell you about Sheyla, a smile comes to my face. That was her. She was the happiest baby."

West New York Mayor Felix Roque told the station that flags are flying at half-staff and the city will handle funeral costs.

"I actually knew the mother," he told the station. "She used to work in a nail salon. Very humble, very poor family, Mexican family. And we're going to cover all the costs. The flag is at half-mast now in West New York. We're treating this like a dignitary because this is a tragedy, it's a 7-year-old wonderful girl.

Photo: CBS2’s Lou Young