N.J. Mayor Tried To Flee Scene Of Crash, Caller Says [Audio]

A New Jersey mayor tried to flee the scene of a car crash, according to a caller speaking in newly released audio.

A resident who reported an early-morning crash in August told police he thought the driver, Rahway Mayor Samson Steinman, was trying to leave the scene, according to an NJ Advance Media recording of the call. The prosecutor's office is investigating the incident.

Steinman, 45, was driving a city-owned 2007 Dodge Durango at the time of the 5:38 a.m. crash, according to report.

Steinman struck a car parked on Central Avenue in Rahway while driving with an expired license. He said he was approaching Pierpont Street when an animal ran in front of his vehicle, causing him to swerve to the left in an attempt to avoid the crash, according to mycentraljersey.com.

Steinman became mayor after Rick Proctor resigned, and he was re-elected in November 2014. He also ran the state Motor Vehicle Commission office in Rahway, formerly served as executive director of the Union County Performing Arts Center in Rahway and was the former borough administrator in Bound Brook, according to the reports.

Here is a recording of the crash:

Patch file photo