DEVELOPING — Kearny man, 76, in critical condition after hit and run: HCPO

Approximate location of the incident Apple Maps

A 76-year-old Kearny man is in critical condition at University Hospital in Newark following a hit-and-run near Kearny and Columbia avenues Thursday, May 30, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.

The Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and the Kearny Police Department are investigating.

Shortly after 7 a.m. that day, the Kearny Police Department was notified of a pedestrian struck at the intersection of Kearny and Columbia. Responding officers located the victim, a man, who had serious injuries.

The driver of the striking vehicle did not remain at the scene, the HCPO says. However, a source tells The Observer the driver initially stopped, got out of his vehicle, looked at the victim and then took off from there.

The victim, meanwhile, was transported by EMS to University Newark, where he remains in critical condition.

During a preliminary investigation, the vehicle suspected of being involved in the collision was recovered.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the HCPO at (201) 915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip at www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip. All information will be kept confidential.

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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.