LACEY – A woman remains in serious condition after a township man struck her with his car and then fled the scene.
Township Police Sgt. Robert Flynn reported that at 4:51 a.m. Saturday, police responded to Route 9 and Bay Way which revealed that an unidentified 31-year-old woman had been walking east on Bay Way from Route 9 when she was struck from behind by a 2005 Honda Accord operated by Eleazar Cholula-Garcia, 31, of Forked River.
Cholula-Garcia fled the scene of the accident but was quickly caught by responding officers that were in the area of Haines Street and Route 9. He was arrested for driving while intoxicated and was transported to Community Medical Center, Toms River on a blood draw search warrant.
The woman struck by Garcia was flown to Jersey Shore University Medical Center with serious bodily injury.
Cholula-Garcia was charged with being an unlicensed driver, DWI, reckless driving, failure to maintain his lane, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident and operating a motor vehicle while using a cell phone which are all motor vehicle offenses.
He was also charged with a third degree charge of knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily injury, third degree assault by auto while DWI, third degree endangering an injured victim, and fourth degree causing serious bodily injury while unlicensed.
Cholula-Garcia was later transported to the Ocean County Jail where he currently remains.
Along with township police, members of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office FAST Team, Ocean County Sheriff’s Department Criminal Investigation Unit, MONOC Paramedics, Lanoka Harbor First Aid Squad and Lanoka Harbor Fire Department also responded to the scene.
