South Brunswick police used modern technology and good old-fashioned detective work to quickly arrest a driver who struck and injured a bicyclist on Sunday afternoon.
Officers were called to Ridge Road near Docks Corner Road just after 3 p.m. after getting a report of a bicyclist down on the road and bleeding profusely, police said.
The 51-year-old Edison man said he had no idea how he landed on the road and police couldn’t locate any witnesses.
Sgt. Michael Leung, though, found a passenger side view mirror and other debris on the shoulder of the road. Investigators also located the vehicle on a surveillance camera about a quarter-mile from where the bicyclist was hit.
Leung then worked to trace part numbers from the items police collected from the road. He successfully identified a trim piece as a part on model year 2008-2013 Toyota Corollas, police said.
The sergeant then asked officers to check the Axon Automatic License Plate Reader System, which are attached to every patrol car.
Officer Jason Stonkus checked and found that a 2009 Toyota Corolla missing a side mirror and with damage to the front bumper had passed him just after the crash.
Police traced the vehicle to a home in Lawrence, Mercer County. The 40-year-old owner of the car, Carlos Romero-Garcia was charged that with leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury, endangering an injured victim and assault by auto.
“Sergeant Leung pieced everything together off one piece of car trim left in the roadway,” Chief Raymond Hayducka said. “Officer Stonkus located the vehicle on his ALPRS. The officers’ quick work tracked down the driver responsible in less than five hours. This is great police work.”
The bicyclist suffered broken bones in his back in addition to the head injury but has since been treated and released from an area hospital.
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