Lakewood Police Identify Hit-And-Run Suspect

Lakewood Police have made an arrest of a suspect in a hit-and-run accident last weekend.

Police arrested Silvestre Hernendez-Rugerio, 34, on Sunday night after a member of the family of victim Moshe Gutman spotted a light blue Chevrolet Astro van with front end damage parked in back of a home on East 5th Street on Sunday afternoon.

When someone standing outside the home was asked how the van was damaged, they replied it was from an accident last week. Lakewood Police were then called to the scene according to TheLakewoodScoop.com.

The damage was a missing piece of the passenger side bumper which matched a bumper found at the scene of the crash on Somerset Avenue last Saturday night.

Police questioned Hernendez-Rugerio, who admitted being the driver in the crash reports the  TheLakewoodScoop.com.  The unidentified man was arrested on charges of leaving the scene of an accident. Immigration & Customs Enforcement was also being contacted about the unidentified man's status. He is being held on $75,000 bail

STATEMENT FROM LAKEWOOD CHAVEIRIM

Lakewood Chaveirim this evening released the following statement following the announcement of the Hit and Run driver who injured one of its members: Lakewood Chaveirim extends its deepest thanks to: the Lakewood Police Dept., Ocean County prosecutors and the county sheriff’s department, Police Chief Robert C. Lawson, Mayor Isaac Akerman, Police Commissioner Meir Lichtenstein, Police Sgt. Frank Work, Officer David Silberstein, and Officer Erik Menck of Traffic and Safety, and the numerous police officers and detectives who stopped at nothing to resolve this case. We would also like to thank the officers and crossing guards who spent hours out in the cold and snow distributing about 1,500 fliers with information about the accident.

We would also like to thank the local Policemen’s Benevolent Association, the Sergeant and Officers Association, and LCSW, for helping us offer a reward of $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the driver.

Special thank you to the residents of Lakewood, and the surrounding towns that have reached out to the Lakewood Police Dept. with numerous tips of vehicles matching the description.