Update: Short Hills Woman Dies After Being Struck by SUV

A Short Hills woman died after being struck and trapped underneath an SUV as she crossed the street near Summit train station on Wednesday night.

Cynthia Pelham-Webb, 61, of Short Hills worked for a consulting firm just a few doors from the scene of the accident. She was on her way to her car which was parked in the vicinity of Union Place near Maple Street. Just after 6 p.m., while crossing Union she was hit by a 2005 Nissan Xterra as it was rounding the corner.

"We are incredibly distraught," said Steve Schrenzel, who worked with Pelman-Webb at The Governance Group on Union Place. She had been with the firm for 17 years, he said.

The vehicle was driven by a man in his 50s from Chatham who was traveling in the direction of the train station entrance. He was taken to Summit police headquarters for questioning after the accident. 

A diner at a nearby Cafe Mavi wrote on Summit Patch that upon leaving the restaurant she saw the scene and said the driver "was having a nervous breakdown" over having struck Webb.

The victim had "a lot of internal injuries," according to Rick Locke, a battalion chief for the . Locke said that when first responders arrived they say a woman under the SUV, with her body positioned between the front and rear wheels. 

“We were set up to lift the car with airbags, but instead used smaller hydraulic tools to lift the vehicle on the side where she was,” he said.

After being pulled from under the vehicle, the victim was rushed to Morristown Medical Center, according to Sgt. David Ritchel, who conducted the on-scene investigation along with Officer Sam Rutkowski who handled the accident reconstruction.

The Rev. Dr. Timothy Mulder of Christ Church in Short Hills sent out a bulletin Wednesday telling parishoners about Pelham-Webb's death, describing her in the email as a "regular and cheerful" part of the church community. Mulder also said Pelham-Webb's husband and three sons were with her at the hospital when she died.

Summit Mayor Jordan Glatt came over to the scene and talked to authorities and emergency officials.

“It’s upsetting," he said. "In my years as mayor, we’ve had ."

Glatt was on his way to dinner in downtown Summit when he got a call from Police Chief Robert Weck at 7:38 p.m. telling him of the accident. Glatt said it was city procedure for him to get a phone call when there were serious accidents.

A server at , on the opposite corner of the accident location didn't see what happened, but said a woman ran into the cafe and asked that someone call 911. The employee, who didn't want to give his name, said he dialed police at 6:16 p.m. Rescue vehicles arrived shortly thereafter.

The driver of the Xterra was not arrested, but the vehicle was impounded. An investigation is ongoing.