'Justice System Failed Us:' Family Of Woodbridge Woman Killed In Hit-And-Run

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — The man who hit and killed a Woodbridge woman outside Wegmans last August was sentenced to five years for the crime — and the woman's family says that's not justice.

Antonio Rivera, 23, hit and killed Fords resident Kristen Bruschi, 45, in the early evening hours of Aug. 31, 2023, and then fled the scene. The Medical Examiner deemed Bruschi's death an accident.

Last Monday, Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Craig Corson sentenced Rivera to five years in state prison. Also, Rivera can be released from prison early for good behavior, as the crime of leaving the scene of a fatal accident is not subject to New Jersey's No Early Release Act.

Bruschi's sister, Carolina Bruschi, called it "a slap on the wrist."

"We are, quite frankly, disgusted by this sentence," Bruschi said Tuesday. "We are devastated at what the courts issued. We feel our justice system failed us."

Bruschi said the family was initially told Rivera would serve eight years, but Judge Corson reduced it to five after character witnesses, including his employer, Scott's Towing in Woodbridge, spoke in court on Rivera's behalf.

According to NJ prison records, Rivera is not a U.S. citizen. He lived in Woodbridge at the time of the fatal crash; he is currently being held at the Middlesex County jail and is awaiting transfer into the state prison system to begin his five-year sentence.

In March, Rivera pled guilty to second-degree knowingly leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle crash and fourth-degree filing a false police report.

Corson sentenced him to five years for the more serious charge (leaving the scene of a fatal crash) and one year to be served concurrently (at the same time) for creating a false report to Woodbridge Police.

Hours after he hit Bruschi that evening, Rivera called Woodbridge Police to report that his black Mustang had been stolen. Unbeknownst to him, Woodbridge Police, led by Sergeant Joseph Angelo, had surveillance footage of the Mustang hitting Bruschi, and had just put out a BOLO (be on the lookout) for it to all surrounding towns.

Rivera was told to come to Woodbridge Police headquarters that night, where he admitted that his car was not in fact stolen. He told police he knew he hit a woman, but he "panicked and left the scene," according to the criminal complaint.

Rivera was arrested by WPD the next day, Sept. 1, at his home on Fox Hill Run.

No Appeal Planned

Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone does not plan to appeal the sentence, a spokeswoman for her office said Tuesday.

"We cannot speak on behalf of Judge Corson; however, we do not have any response other than we recognize the seriousness of the offense and the impact it had on the family," said the prosecutor's spokeswoman. "We are bound by and respect the trial court’s decision and do not see a legal basis to appeal the decision."

As the case worked its way through the New Jersey court system, Bruschi said she and her family, particularly their grieving mother, were consulted many times by Prosecutor Ciccone.

The family was initially told he would serve eight years, which they agreed to.

But she said Rivera's own testimony in front of the judge, plus comments from his mother and Scott's Towing, were able to convince Corson to reduce the sentence.

"We were very involved with the case," Bruschi said. "We were able to speak during sentencing about the impact the crime had on our family. We agreed on an eight-year plea deal, which he signed. But he was able to mitigate that in front of a judge to lessen the time."

The county prosecutor said Rivera exercised his rights.

"The defendant does have a right to have people speak on his behalf at sentencing, as does the state," said the prosecutor's spokeswoman. "The initial recommendation was eight years. The trial judge has to qualitatively evaluate aggravating factors and mitigating factors to determine whether it is appropriate to depart from the recommended sentence to a lower sentence. Here, the judge sentenced the defendant at the lower end of the range — five years in prison."

At the time of her death, Kristen lived in Fords with her mother, with whom she was very close, and was a single mom to a 15-year-old daughter.

"(He) took away a mom from a teenage girl when she needed her the most. We understand accidents do happen and people panic, but this was no sense of panic. His acts to flee, falsify police reports and then bury his crime shows his true character," Bruschi said.

Crime Details

At 5:39 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2023 Woodbridge Police responded to multiple 911 calls about a pedestrian hit-and-run in front of the Wegmans.

Police found Bruschi lying in the middle of the intersection, unconscious. She was bleeding from her head and elsewhere.

According to her sister, Kristen Bruschi went out to get groceries that evening. Because it was a nice summer night, she decided to ride her bicycle to Wegmans.

She was hit while walking her bike across busy Woodbridge Center Drive, on her way home with a bag of groceries hanging from the handlebars.

"There is no crosswalk there; she got off her bike to cross," said Carolina Bruschi. "He hit her and left."

Police say Rivera immediately fled the scene. The posted speed limit is 25 miles per hour; it is unknown how fast he was going.

Carolina Bruschi said police and EMTs did CPR on her sister and they were able to get a faint heartbeat back, but it was brief. She was rushed to Raritan Bay Medical Center, but pronounced dead at the hospital.

Woodbridge Police obtained surveillance footage that showed Bruschi being hit by the black Mustang. Police put out an alert to neighboring towns to look for the car, and police in another town found the car shortly after the crash, with heavy damage to its front end.

"This accident and the person who struck her took a huge part of our life away, and (he) has shown little remorse," Carolina Bruschi said. "Although no amount of time will ever bring Kristen back, we are a little relieved to have some sense of closure. We will continue to share her story and keep her memory alive forever. Kristen was loved by all that met her and had a huge heart. We will miss her forever."

Here is the obituary for Kristen Bruschi.

Initial Patch report on the death of Kristen Bruschi: Woodbridge Single Mother Hit, Killed By Car Outside Wegmans