NJ Gentlemen’s Club Responsible For Man’s Death, Mother’s Lawsuit Says

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — The mother of a man who was killed in a hit-and-run outside of a Passaic County gentlemen’s club is suing the establishment for wrongful death.

On Aug. 30, 2024, around 3 a.m. Matthew Flores, 26, of Ridgefield Park, was walking outside Silk Gentlemen’s Club in Passaic when he was hit by a car and fatally injured, the suit says.

The suit says Flores was struck by an Acura RDX being driven by Edinson Polo Jr., a Silk patron who was leaving the club. Polo fled the scene of the accident, running Flores over in the process, the suit adds.

As a result, Flores suffered several injuries, including head and hip lacerations, two punctured lungs, intracranial bleeding, and multiple broken ribs, according to the suit. He died in a nearby hospital six days later.

Polo was charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death and death by auto, criminal charges that are still pending in court.

Nearly two years after the fatal collision, Flores’ mother is not only suing Polo, but the Silk Gentlemen’s Club and its owner.

The suit claims that Silk Gentlemen’s Club failed to responsibly monitor its patrons, including Polo, who, despite having “reached a state of visible intoxication,” was served alcohol continuously.

The suit points to Silk’s sale records, which indicate that Polo made a purchase at the bar with his Mastercard at 2:23 a.m., less than 45 minutes before the collision.

The suit claims “negligence, carelessness, recklessness and maliciousness” from Polo, and the same counts for Silk.

Patch has reached out to Silk Gentlemen’s Club for comment on the suit and did not immediately hear back.