Ex-Parsippany Man Imprisoned For Killing Boy, 12, In Hit-And-Run

UNION, NJ — A former Parsippany resident was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison Friday for fatally striking a 12-year-old boy with his vehicle and fleeing the scene. A jury convicted Jose Marrero in March of knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.

The hit-and-run occurred just before 8 p.m. on July 17, 2019, when Marrero's vehicle struck a pedestrian around Forest Drive and Galloping Hill Road in Union. Union Police Department patrol units found an unresponsive 12-year-old, Jeremy Maraj, of Union who was then rushed to University Hospital in Newark.

Maraj died from his injuries two days after the crash, according to the Union County Prosecutor's Office. He was on his way home from Irene Hoppe Park in Union when he was struck.

Marrero lived in Lake Hiawatha when he was charged Aug. 2, 2019, for his role in the hit-and-run. He most recently lived in Kearny.

At the trial, the state revealed that at the time of the accident, Marrero was driving his work vehicle — a 2016 Nissan NV200 Cargo Van — when he hit Maraj on the shoulder of Galloping Hill Road. Witnesses to the accident testified that Marrero didn't stop and fled the scene, according to prosecutors.

Video surveillance obtained from the area and parts from the van recovered at the scene ultimately led detectives to Marrero, prosecutors said.

Maraj enjoyed doing what most 12-year-olds do, according to his obituary. The Union resident loved freestyle rapping, spending time with his family and surrounding himself with dogs — especially his English bulldog, Spike. His organs were donated to other children. Read More: Union Boy Killed In Crash Gives Gift Of Life, Donates Organs