Man Charged With Hit-And-Run That Sent Bergen County Teen To Hospital: Prosecutor

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Fort Lee man has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident last month that left a boy, 17, with serious injuries.

After a month-long investigation, Hugo R. Paz-Lajuj, 28, of Fort Lee has been charged with knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting

in serious bodily injury, hindering apprehension, tampering with physical evidence, and obstructing justice, as well as related motor vehicle offenses, said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office on Thursday.

Prosecutors said that on Monday, Oct. 15, around 6:40 a.m., the Palisades Park Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting that a pedestrian had been struck by a motor vehicle on Brinkerhoff Avenue.

A 17-year-old male from For Lee was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries, prosecutors said.

Detectives determined that a 2004 Honda Civic struck the victim as he was attempting to cross Brinkerhoff Avenue near the intersection of 14th Street, prosecutors said. The driver then left, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said that the driver, Paz-Lajuj, made repairs to conceal the damage from the hit-and-run.

He was arrested Wednesday and taken to the Bergen County jail to await his first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, prosecutors said.

Bergen County announced in August that it's working on a safety plan to curtail pedestrian deaths on local roads. Read more here.