Man Found Guilty Of Killing 12-Year-Old Union County Boy In Hit-And-Run

UNION COUNTY, NJ — A Hudson County man was found guilty of fatally hitting a 12-year-old child in Union with his car and fleeing the scene, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel and Union Police Director Daniel Zieser jointly announced Wednesday.

Joe Marrero, 39, of Kearny was found guilty Friday on one count of knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death — a second-degree crime — after a week-long trial. The jury deliberated for less than an hour before returning its verdict, according to the announcement.

Union Police Department patrol units found an unresponsive 12-year-old child, Jeremy Maraj of Union, who was hit by a car in the area of Forest Drive and Galloping Hill Road on July 17, 2019. Maraj was rushed to University Hospital in Newark and succumbed to his injuries two days later.

Maraj was on his way home from Irene Hoppe Park when he was hit on the shoulder of Galloping Hill Road by Marrero, who was driving his work vehicle, a 2016 Nissan NV200 Cargo Van, according to authorities. Witnesses of the accident testified that Marrero didn’t stop and fled the scene.

Video surveillance obtained from the area and parts of the van recovered at the scene ultimately led detectives to identify Marrero, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

Sentencing has been scheduled for Friday, June 10 before Judge Robert Kirsch, at which time
Marrero can face a sentence of up to 10 years in state prison.

Maraj's memory lives on as his organs were donated to other children after he was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Union Township. Read More: Union Boy Killed In Crash Gives Gift Of Life, Donates Organs