Arrest Made In Newark Hit-And-Run; Cheerleader Still Critical: ECPO

NEWARK, NJ — Police arrested a New Jersey woman in connection with a hit-and-run car crash that critically injured a high school cheerleader in Newark last month, authorities announced Wednesday.

According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the driver of a Kia Forte hit an 18-year-old Newark resident on the 500-block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard around 10:15 p.m. on Feb. 4.

The victim – a student at Arts High School – was returning from a cheerleading competition at the time, authorities said.

The driver fled the scene without stopping, prosecutors said.

Emergency responders rushed the teen to University Hospital, where she remains in critical condition, authorities said.

Mia’Jah Burton, 33, of Newark, was arrested in connection with the hit-and-run on March 1. She has been charged with Third-Degree Leaving the Scene of a Crash resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, Third-Degree Endangering an Injured Victim, Fourth-Degree Assault by Auto, Third-Degree Hindering and Fourth-Degree False Report to Law Enforcement.

Burton remains incarcerated at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark pending a detention hearing, authorities said Wednesday.

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