North Jersey wife, mother of 4, identified as victim in fatal hit-and-run in Brick
TOMS RIVER - A pedestrian who was struck and killed by an alleged hit-and-run driver in Brick has been identified as Julia Sutton, 56, of Weehawken, said Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
The Prosecutor’s Office had previously released the name of the suspect arrested last week in the Hudson County woman’s death: Mark Carey Jr., 19, of South Amboy, who was charged with knowingly leaving the scene of the motor vehicle crash, which took place on Jan. 13.
Sutton was struck on the shoulder of Route 35 and Bay Avenue sometime about 9:15 a.m. on that date. She was taken to Ocean University Medical Center in Brick where she was pronounced dead, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Related: Police looking for Ford Explorer involved in fatal hit-and-run in Brick
Sutton is survived by her husband Ted; four children, Samantha, Hannah, Bridget and Oscar; and three brothers, William, Denis and Richard Earls, according to her online obituary, which was filled with hundreds of condolences from mourners whose lives were touched by hers.
“On top of being a loving and dedicated wife and mother, Julia was a spirited business woman and entrepreneur,” her obituary said. “Her lively spirit inspired many around her and the world is already missing her light.”
Funeral services were held last week, according to the obituary.
More: Man arrested in fatal Brick hit-and-run crash
An investigation isolated the vehicle in the hit-and-run to a specific 1999 Ford Explorer that had been captured on at least one surveillance camera as it traveled through the area at the time of the incident.
Ultimately, investigators were able to identify the SUV and to whom it was registered. Carey was also determined to have been behind the wheel of the Explorer at the time of the collision, the statement said.
The teen was taken into custody at his home in South Amboy without incident a day after the crash. He was processed at Brick Police Headquarters and remained in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River on Tuesday, where he awaits a detention hearing in state Superior Court, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
Contact Asbury Park Press reporter Erik Larsen at elarsen@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Wife, mom of 4 identified as victim in fatal hit-and-run in Brick NJ
