How Chester’s Alert System Helped Nab A Hit-And-Run Suspect

CHESTER, NJ — Chester authorities proactively used their neighborhood alert system this past weekend, leading to the apprehension of a hit-and-run suspect.

On Friday, just after 7 p.m., an alert was sent to recipients informing them that a manhunt was underway around Pleasant Hill Road and Cromwell Drive to find the suspect.

“URGENT CPD Officers and a sheriffs K9 are searching the area of Pleasant Hill Road and Cromwell Drive for a 58-year-old Hispanic male, wearing a red shirt and jeans, believed to have fled the scene of a motor vehicle crash,” the alert read. “Dial 911 to report any sightings.”

Sure enough, around three hours later, a recipient of the alert spotted the suspect and reported the sighting to Chester police, officials said. Police were able to apprehend him shortly after.

At 10:03 p.m., a second alert was sent:

“Urgent ChesterAlert: CPD officers have located and taken the Pleasant Hill Road suspect into custody,” it read. “Thank you all for your cooperation and assistance.”

According to Mayor Tim Drag, this was the first time the town used the alert system to request the public’s help in an investigation. The alert system typically warns residents of road closures, phishing scams, garbage schedule changes, and other items.

“A big thank you to that resident for staying alert and taking action—it made all the difference,” Drag said on social media. “This was the first time we’ve used our alert system in this way, and the outcome was exactly what we hoped for. It’s a great example of how effective community communication can be.”

Residents can sign up for the alert service here to have alerts sent to them by home phone, cell phone, text, and/or email, according to their preferences. You can also text ‘AlertChester’ to 67283 to receive text notifications only.

We’d like to encourage all residents of Chester Township to sign up for AlertChester,” Drag continued. “It’s completely free and provides real-time updates on everything from road closures and garbage collection changes to community programming and emergency alerts—like the one issued Friday night.”