Scotch Plains Driver Charged After Leaving Crash With Injured Motorcyclist

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ — A Scotch Plains man was charged after police said they found a Watchung motorcyclist injured and his vehicle lying in the roadway.

On Nov. 24 at about 6:30 a.m., Scotch Plains officers went to the 300 block of Park Avenue on a report of a motor vehicle accident and found a 2019 Harley Davidson motorcycle lying in the roadway.

The motorcycle driver, identified as a 37-year-old man from Watchung, was suffering from arm, leg, and facial injuries, said police.

Witnesses reported a silver SUV had turned in front of the motorcycle causing the crash and then fled the scene on Park Avenue.

Officers were able to identify the vehicle as a 2022 Acura RDX which was found on Park Avenue in a parking lot.

The driver was identified as Shahen Marku, 44, of Scotch Plains. He was placed under arrest for leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury and taking a vehicle without owner’s consent, said police.

Marku was also issued numerous summonses including driving while suspended, careless driving, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. He was taken to headquarters, processed and taken to the Union County jail.

Emergency medical personnel came and took the victim to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in Newark for treatment.

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