BRICK – Police have made an arrest in a brutal hit and run pedestrian crash that left one man dead Sunday night.
Brick Police Sargent Keith Donnelly said 37-year-old Craig Menth Jr. of Barnegat was placed under arrest for knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in a death, a second degree offense. He was also charged with careless driving and failing to report an accident.
Police said 28-year-old Robert Berenger of Brick was walking east on Drum Point Road on the shoulder of the roadway when he was struck from behind by Menth in a Dodge Ram van traveling east.
Police say they responded to the scene around 10:45 p.m. in the area of Drum Point Road bear Circle Drive. Berenger was found unconscious on the front lawn of a house. He died from his injuries at the scene.
Several law enforcement units responded to the scene included the Brick Township Police Department, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department.
Drum Point Road traffic was detoured for three hours during the investigation.
According to Donnelly, the vehicle, which suffered significant damage, was located by Sargent Joseph Rossi in a residential neighborhood off Drum Point Road.
Members of the Brick Township Police Traffic Safety Unit and Patrol Division located the vehicle owner.
The probe is being conducted by Sgt. Donnelly, Ptl. Lampiasi and Ptl. Farnkopf of the Brick Township Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit.
Witnesses to the crash are urged to call Ptl. Lampiasi at 732-262-1141.
