Passenger dies after Lakewood crash, driver flees scene

OCEAN COUNTY, NJ — A 26-year-old man has been arrested after fleeing a crash early Saturday in Lakewood that resulted in another man’s death, according to Daily Voice.

Ocean County officials said the collision took place on James Street at about 2:25 a.m.

Preliminary details show the suspect, Angel Garcia-Rodriguez, a Lakewood resident, was driving a 2007 Honda Civic. For reasons still unclear, he lost control of the vehicle, causing it to collide with a utility pole.

By the time officers arrived on the scene, Garcia-Rodriguez had left the scene on foot. His passenger, a man whose identity remains undisclosed, was found in the front-passenger seat suffering from critical injuries. The victim was rushed to Neptune’s Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.

Garcia-Rodriguez, who was later located at a Lakewood residence, was taken into custody without incident. Authorities had him transported to Lakewood’s Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus to have a court-authorized sample of his blood drawn. He has since been booked into Ocean County Jail and faces multiple charges, including “Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Crash Resulting in Death,” and “Endangering an Injured Victim.”

As many as five area agencies responded to, and/or contributed to the investigation.