Wednesday, April 15, 2026 n www.TheObserver.com n Volume CXXXVIII, Issue No. 49 w
UNDER THE COVER Belleville preparing for new Silver Lake substation Page 3
BELLEVILLE n BLOOMFIELD n EAST NEWARK n HARRISON n KEARNY n LYNDHURST n NORTH ARLINGTON n NUTLEY
The beauty of spring shines in Nutley
KPD: Woman who caused hit & run crash was looking down, texting By Kevin A. Canessa Jr.
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Photo by Lisa Feorenzo
Last week, our own Lisa Feorenzo caught some great snapshots of spring blooming at Memorial Park 1, in Nutley, including this one of the creek as trees bloomed. See more online at www.theobserver.com.
kc@theobserver.com
Kearny woman has been arrested following a hit-and-run crash April 7 where police determined she looking down, texting as she hit the other vehicle, all while driving without a license, Det. Lt. Michal Gontarczuk, the Kearny Police Department’s public-information officer, said. According to Gontarczuk: Yesterday afternoon, the Kearny Police Department responded to a hit and run collision on Passaic Avenue near South Midland Avenue after a vehicle stopped at a red light was struck from behind by a BMW SUV. Following the collision, a passenger in the struck vehicle exited the car, experienced a medical event and lost consciousness. The injuries sustained were significant but luckily, non-life
threatening. The driver of the BMW, described as a woman in her 40s wearing cowboy boots with a distinct pink design pattern on them briefly got out of her vehicle. Upon realizing the damage and injuries she caused, she returned to her vehicle and fled. Officers Jonathan Dowie and Angel Martinez arrived on the scene, interviewed witnesses and secured a partial license plate number. The officers also noted one of the BMW’s kidney grilles was left on scene. Detectives then used the town camera system and other investigative tools to trace the vehicle. They identified the full registration and noted the BMW had sustained significant front end damage, including the See CRASH, Page 14