Driver In Bergen County Hit-And-Run Tried To Repair Car To Conceal Crime: Prosecutor

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Kearny man has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run crash that left a man dead in Lyndhurst on Thursday night.

Steveen G. Novillo-Cabrera, 29, of Kearny was arrested in Lyndhurst on Friday and charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

As previously reported, on Thursday, at approximately 9:49 p.m., the Lyndhurst Police Department received a 911 call reporting that a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle.

Prosecutors later identified the victim as 57-year-old George Arnold of Lyndhurst.

The investigation determined that a 2020 Honda Civic struck the victim as he was attempting to cross Ridge Road near the intersection of Milton Avenue, prosecutors said. Following the collision, the Honda driver fled the scene, they said.

Prosecutors said that Novilla-Cabrera also "attempted to repair the vehicle after the collision to conceal his involvement in the incident."

He was charged with second-degree knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, third-degree hindering apprehension, third-degree endangering an injured victim, and fourth-degree tampering with evidence, as well as related motor vehicle offenses, prosecutors said.

He was taken to the Bergen County Jail pending to await an appearance in Bergen County Superior Court.

READ MORE: Hit-And-Run Victim In Lyndhurst Identified As Local Man