Jogger Hit By Car Charged With 'Reckless Running' in Somerset County

It’s a law, but rarely enforced.

And much like most residents, Elizabeth Jaeger had no idea it existed.

Jaeger was jogging in the roadway in Bernards Township in October, per her normal routine, when she was struck by a car backing out of a driveway, nj.com reported.

Jaeger suffered minor injuries and requested an officer to the scene for a police report in the event her injuries became more sever, the report said. That’s when thing got interesting.

After discussing with the officer that she jogged in the roadway to avoid leaf-covered or cracked sidewalks, Jaeger was issued a summons for running in the street, which is, apparently, illegal.

The statute under New Jersey law is 39:4-34, which states: “Where sidewalks are provided it shall be unlawful for any pedestrian to walk along and upon an adjacent roadway.”

Jaeger, according to the report, did not fight the summons because she was told by the prosecutor it would be her word against the officers, and coughed up the $54 fine.

See more about the odd charge which one police chief had never seen issued in nearly three decades here.