Fort Lee Man Charged In Monday’s Fatal Pedestrian Hit & Run

Friday, February 14, 2025, 4:15 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

NORTH BERGEN, NJ.- Today, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez reported that Detectives of the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit have charged a 24-year-old Fort Lee, New Jersey, man in connection with a fatal pedestrian hit and run that occurred during the morning hours on Monday, in North Bergen, New Jersey.

     Maximo Rodriguez, 24, of Fort Lee, was formally charged with one count of second-degree Knowingly Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Crash Resulting in Death. Rodriguez was taken into custody on Thursday, February 13, 2025, at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Secaucus, New Jersey. He was processed on the charge and released on a complaint summons pending future court proceedings in Hudson County Superior Court.

     The charge stems from an investigation that began on Monday, February 10, 2025, when shortly before 6:00 a.m., members of the North Bergen Police Department responded to a report of a pedestrian being struck by a motor vehicle near the intersection of Tonnelle Avenue and 91st Street in North Bergen.

     Upon arrival, Police Officers found a man, later identified as Nestor Naira-Ojeda, 52, of North Bergen, unresponsive in the roadway, having sustained fatal injuries by being struck by a motor vehicle. Mr. Naira-Ojeda was subsequently pronounced deceased at the scene.

     The driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee remained at the scene. During the initial investigation, responding Police Officers learned that a second vehicle, a box truck, had been involved in the collision and fled the scene. The Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit assumed control of the investigation and identified Rodriguez as the driver of the box truck.