Boy Struck, Driver Arrested For South Jersey Hit-And-Run: Police

FRANKLINVILLE, NJ — A Gloucester County man faces an assault by auto charge after hitting an 11-year-old boy with his car in Franklin Township and fleeing the scene, police said.

Officers arrested Paul Mensch, 51, of Malaga on Sunday night according to a news release from Franklin Township Police.

The boy was walking down Oak Avenue in Malaga at around 7:22 p.m. Sunday, when a passing car hit him and fled the scene. First responders took him to Cooper University Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition as of Monday morning.

The crash happened in the 500 block of Oak Avenue, police said. There are no sidewalks on that street, part of which runs parallel to the Malaga Open Space Area.

Police found evidence at the scene from the suspect vehicle and were able to view surveillance video, which led officers to the car parked at a residence off of Oak Avenue. The officers linked evidence from the scene to the vehicle, and arrested Mensch in connection with the hit-and-run, a news release said.

Police charged Mensch with assault by auto and released him on a summons pending court date and time, police said. Officer Scott Krauss is conducting the investigation.

"Our officers did a great job of tracking down the suspect and placing him under arrest," police said.