Crime & Safety

Fort Lee Pedestrian Struck, Killed by Car on Anderson Avenue

A Fort Lee man died in the hospital Saturday night about four-and-a-half hours after getting hit by a car while he was trying to cross Anderson Avenue between Jane Street and Catherine Street, according to authorities.

A 65-year-old Fort Lee man died Saturday night after getting hit by a car on Anderson Avenue, police said.

At about 5:15 p.m. Saturday, police received calls saying a pedestrian had been struck near the exit of the Church of the Madonna. Officers from the Fort Lee Police Department’s Patrol Division and Detective Bureau responded, conducting an on-scene investigation, which concluded that Gerard A. Deangelis was hit by a 1999 Toyota Corolla while attempting to cross Anderson between Jane and Catherine Streets, police said.

Paramedics treated the victim at the scene, and the Fort Lee Ambulance Corps transported him to Hackensack University Medical Center with what police described as life-threatening injuries. But Deangelis died at the hospital at 9:52 p.m., according to authorities.

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The driver of the Toyota, whom police identified as Maria C. Ventura-Granados, 58, of Fort Lee was taken to Englewood Hospital and is cooperating with the ongoing investigation being conducted by the Fort Lee Police Department’s Accident Investigation Unit, according to police, who did say there is no evidence to suggest excessive speed or alcohol were factors in the fatal accident.

Ventura-Granados was charged with careless driving, police said.

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Fort Lee police are urging anyone who may have witnessed the accident to contact Police Officer Dawson of the Traffic Bureau AIU at 201-592-3700, ext. 5195.

Three pedestrians have already been hit by cars in Fort Lee in 2013, but Saturday’s incident was the first fatality, according to police. The other two crashes involving pedestrians happened during daylight hours—the first on Jan. 7 at about 3:30 p.m. at Palisade Avenue and Angioletti Place and the second on Jan. 8 at about 3:50 p.m. at Lemoine Avenue and Bridge Plaza. In the first case, the driver was cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian, while the Jan. 8 accident remains under investigation, police said.

Local police continue to urge both drivers and pedestrians to exercise caution and remain aware of their surroundings after a slew of pedestrians were hit by vehicles in 2012.

“The department is continuing the Pedestrian Safety Initiative launched last year which includes Pedestrian Jay Walking, Pedestrian Decoy Operations, Speeding Enforcement and DWI Enforcement,” Fort Lee Police Chief Keith M. Bendul said in statement released Sunday. “The initiative contains both education and enforcement elements for both drivers and pedestrians. The Community Policing Unit and Traffic Bureau will continue to make presentations to increase awareness. Traffic signboards are deployed throughout town displaying safety messages.”


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