Man Arrested In Hit-And-Run Of Montclair State University Student
PATERSON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Police have arrested a North Arlington man in connection with a hit-and-run that left a Montclair State University student in a coma.
Michael Choynowski, 27, is charged with knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious bodily harm and endangering an injured victim, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes announced Thursday. Each charge carries a sentence of three to five years in prison.
Choynowski was processed and released on $30,000 bail on Thursday, officials said.
Anna Semioli, 22, of Moonachie, was struck by a pickup truck while walking along the shoulder of Route 46 in Clifton just after midnight on Oct. 9, authorities said. She was left critically injured and was reported to still be in a coma at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center as of Thursday.
Authorities said they arrested Choynowski after reviewing surveillance video from the area, identifying and recovering the truck and interviewing possible witnesses.
Police say there are no signs that drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash, WCBS 880's Kelly Waldron reported.
The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office and Clifton police urged any witnesses to come forward. Semioli's family also offered a $10,000 cash reward for information leading to the arrest of the driver.
"How could you leave her on the side of the road?" the victim's sister, Gina Semioli, told CBS2 earlier this week. "She's a person, just like everybody in your family is a person, so come forward, please."
