Driver Pleads Guilty In Fatal Morris County Hit-And-Run​​

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A Morris County taxi driver pleaded guilty on Tuesday to leaving the scene after hitting and killing a pedestrian in a crosswalk earlier this summer.

Jermaine Edwards, 51, of Morristown, is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 17 after he pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, according to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office.

Edwards, who was not certified to drive a taxi, hit Francis Alvarado-Trejo, 40, of Morristown with his vehicle on Aug. 12, while Alvarado-Trejo was walking in the area of Lafayette Avenue and Lackawanna Place, police said.

According to a report by the MorristownGreen, the prosecution will seek a five-year prison sentence for Edwards when he is sentenced next month by Superior Court Judge Ralph Amirata in exchange for the plea.

The hit-and-run prompted Morristown officials to remove the local taxi company's license indefinitely. The Morristown council voted 5-0, during a special meeting, to ban Enslin's LLC/G&S Car Service from operating, citing a significant list of breaches and a long "list of un-permitted drivers."

George Enslin, the company owner, told the council that he felt terrible about the incident but that he knew Edwards' mother and that Edwards had been through "some tough times years ago," which included charges on his record.

"I made a poor decision, but it's not going to happen again. I have no defense of what I did; it happened," Enslin said.

Edwards has since been held at the Morris County Correctional Facility pending his sentencing, according to officials.