Arrest Made After Fatal Hit-And-Run In Newark, Cops Search For Victim's Family

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Police arrested a man who allegedly killed a woman during a hit-and-run crash in Newark earlier this year, authorities announced Wednesday.

The fatal crash took place around 4:30 p.m. on April 26, according to a statement from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Newark Department of Public Safety.

Newark police officers arrived at the scene to find Margie Reyes, 53, lying in the street on the 700-block of Frelinghuysen Avenue. Emergency responders transported Reyes to University Hospital. She was pronounced dead a short time later.

Doctors confirmed that her injuries were consistent with being struck by a motor vehicle, prosecutors said.

The crime scene investigation department at the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office recovered multiple pieces of evidence that led to the identification of Lavon Cooley, 36, of Newark, as the alleged hit-and-run driver, authorities said.

A U.S. Marshals task force took Cooley into custody on Tuesday. He has been charged with second-degree leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash, third-degree causing death while driving with a suspended license, third-degree endangering an injured victim, and third-degree possession of a dangerous controlled substance.

“Preliminary information suggests the victim may have been unhoused at the time of her death, and efforts to locate her family have been unsuccessful,” the prosecutor’s office noted, sharing a photo of the deceased woman (see below).

Authorities said anyone with information can contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office tips line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com