Police Searching For The Suspect In Friday Night Fatal Hit & Run In Caldwell

Tuesday, January 20, 2026, 7:15 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

CALDWELL, NJ.- Detectives of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Caldwell Police Department are continuing the search for the driver of a vehicle who fatally ran down a 56-year-old Caldwell, New Jersey, woman early Friday evening in the Borough of Caldwell, New Jersey.

     According to Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens, II, on Friday, January 16, 2026, at around 6:30 p.m., members of the Caldwell Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency call reporting a woman being struck by a motor vehicle on the 400 Block of Bloomfield Avenue in the Borough.

     Upon arrival, Responding Police Officers located a woman, identified as Sharon Thomas, 64, of Caldwell, unresponsive, lying in the roadway, having sustained life-threatening injuries from being struck by a vehicle that fled the scene. Ms. Thomas was immediately transported to Mountainside Hospital, where, despite life-saving efforts, Ms. Thomas succumbed to her injuries and was subsequently pronounced deceased shortly before 7:30 p.m.

     During the initial investigation, witnesses reported that Ms. Thomas had exited a NJ Transit bus and was crossing Bloomfield Avenue when she was struck by a vehicle. According to the witnesses, the driver stopped, exited the vehicle, looked at Ms. Thomas lying in the roadway, then reentered the vehicle and fled the scene. A second vehicle also struck Ms. Thomas while she was in the roadway, and that vehicle remained at the scene.

     The investigation remains active and ongoing. Anyone with information regarding this investigation is urged to contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Tips Line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432. All calls and information will be kept confidential.