Woodbridge Single Mother Hit, Killed By Car Outside Wegmans

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A Fords woman was hit and killed while walking her bike outside the Woodbridge Wegmans last August, and the incident was never announced publicly by Woodbridge Police or the Township.

It was not until this April that the family of Kristen Bruschi, 45, said they want the community to know this happened, mostly so Woodbridge residents can be aware as they walk and shop in that area, and prevent another tragedy from occurring.

It was a hit and run, said Woodbridge Police, and a local man has been convicted.

Antonio Rivera, 24, who lives on Fox Hill Run in Woodbridge, pleaded guilty to second-degree knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, and fourth degree making a false report to law enforcement, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone.

He will be sentenced June 3. Rivera is free and out of jail until his sentencing.

Hit, killed outside Woodbridge Wegmans on a summer night

From the Middlesex County Prosecutor, here is a breakdown of what exactly happened that evening:

At 5:39 p.m. on Aug. 31, 2023, a Thursday, Woodbridge Police responded to multiple 911 calls from the public about a pedestrian hit-and-run in front of the Wegmans. This took place at the intersection of Woodbridge Center Drive at Plaza Drive, one of the busiest intersections in town. It was other people driving past in their cars who called 911.

Police found Bruschi lying in the middle of the intersection, unconscious. She was bleeding from her head and other places on her body.

According to her sister, Carolina Bruschi, Kristen went out to get some groceries at Wegmans that evening. She lives close by and, because it was a nice summer night, she decided to ride her bicycle to the grocery store. She was killed as she was walking home from the store: She got off her bike and was walking it across busy Woodbridge Center Drive, a bag of groceries hanging from the handlebars, when she was hit, said her sister.

"She got off her bike to cross. There is no crosswalk there, but she still had to cross the road," said her sister this week. "He hit her and left."

Police say Rivera hit her while driving a black Mustang; he immediately fled the scene. The posted speed limit there is 25 miles per hour.

According to Bruschi's sister, the impact of her sister being struck caused her pocketbook to stick to the side of the Mustang. Bruschi also said that police and EMTs did CPR on her sister and they were able to get a faint heartbeat back, but it was brief. Her sister was rushed to Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, but pronounced dead at the hospital.

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

While Woodbridge Police were investigating, Rivera called Woodbridge Police headquarters and reported that his Mustang had been stolen, according to the criminal complaint. He was brought into WPD headquarters for questioning. There, police say he admitted that his car was not in fact stolen; that he knew he hit a woman and he was alone in the car at the time, but he "panicked and left the scene."

Her sister said police found Kristen's cell phone on her, but it lost service due to impact, and was unable to make calls. However, the phone still received Instagram alerts, and that's how police were able to identify Bruschi. Shortly thereafter, Woodbridge Police officers showed up on her mother's doorstep to inform her that her daughter had just been killed in a hit and run.

A single mother of a teenage daughter, surrounded by a large and loving family

Kristen lived in Fords with her mother, with whom she was very close, and was a single mom to her 15-year-old daughter. Carolina said her sister loved nothing more than being with her teenage daughter: Kristen loved the beach and she taught her daughter how to surf. The mother and daughter spent a lot of time surfing together, and paddleboarding.

She was the second child of four and had a large family where she was a beloved aunt to many nieces and nephews. Kristen also loved to cook for her large extended family and spend time with them.

"Kristen came from a large family who loved her very much," said her grieving sister. "She was a good person with a heart of gold. All the young children in our family loved Kristen, especially her nieces and nephews. If you needed something, Kristen would always say yes. She would do anything for anyone."

"This accident and the person who struck her took a huge part of our life away, and (he) has shown little remorse," she continued. "Kristen had so much more life to live and there will forever be a missing part of our hearts."

Here is the obituary for Kristen Bruschi.