Shrewsbury CVS worker dies in hit-and-run while walking home; Westborough police find car said to be involved

SHREWSBURY – The driver charged with striking a CVS worker on Route 9 Saturday night allegedly stopped his vehicle for a short time before speeding off, according to court records.

Investigators tracked him down days later using surveillance video from a nearby car dealership, records show.

Jerry Santiago Jr., 24, last known address 98 Green Hill Parkway in Worcester, has been charged with leaving the scene of personal injury resulting in death and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. He was arraigned in Westborough District Court Wednesday and is being held on $50,000 bail.

Ghufran Mutar, 20, of Shrewsbury, died from her injuries, according to the Worcester County District Attorney's Office.

Mutar was crossing Boston Turnpike (Route 9) at the South Street intersection just after 10 p.m., on her way home from work at CVS at 720 Boston Turnpike, when she was struck, according to authorities.

She was rushed to UMass Memorial Medical Center - University Campus in Worcester with severe injuries. She was pronounced deceased at the hospital two hours later, according to State Trooper Chad Smith’s report.

Shrewsbury police interviewed several witnesses and learned that Mutar was struck by a vehicle that was traveling at a high rate of speed on Route 9 eastbound. The vehicle that struck Mutar stopped for a short time and sped off, according to Smith’s report.

Witnesses saw the vehicle pull into the parking lot of Wagner Mercedes-Benz of Shrewsbury at 760 Boston Turnpike (Route 9). In the parking lot, the male driver and a female passenger got out of the vehicle to assess damage, according to Smith’s report.

After several minutes, the couple went back into the vehicle and continued to travel on Route 9 toward Northborough, according to Smith’s report.

On Sunday, Shrewsbury police obtained surveillance video from the car dealership which showed a “heavy-set” male get out of the driver’s side of the vehicle and assess damage on the front passenger side bumper, headlight and windshield, according to Smith’s report.

On the video, the male driver is seen pulling a damaged part from the vehicle and discarded it in the dealership’s parking lot, while the female passenger is seen discarding a “bottle” from the interior of the vehicle, Smith’s report states.

Investigators were able to recover both the vehicle part which was determined to belong to a Dodge Journey and a bottle of tequila filled with a pink liquid, Smith’s report said.

On Monday, Westborough police located a gray 2011 Dodge Journey with heavy front-end damage parked at the Extended Stay America Suites at 1800 Computer Drive, Westborough.

The passenger, Justina Riopelle, 22, was interviewed by Shrewsbury police. Riopelle’s mother was the owner of the vehicle.

Riopelle identified Santiago, her boyfriend, as the operator of the vehicle at the time of the crash, according to Smith’s report.

Riopelle told police that she and Santiago both knew they struck a person at the time of the crash but did not stop. She also said that Santiago refused to go back to the crash scene since he did not have a driver’s license, according to Smith’s report.

A review of the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles records indicates Santiago posses a learner’s permit in Massachusetts but Riopelle does not possess a state driver’s license, according to court files. Massachusetts motor vehicle law requires that a person operating a motor vehicle with a learner’s permit must be accompanied by a licensed operator over the age of 21.

Shrewsbury police arrested Santiago Tuesday night. He was arraigned Wednesday in front of Judge Pacifico M. DaCapua Jr. in Westborough District Court. He is due back in court Nov. 30.

The Islamic funeral prayer Ṣalāt al-Janāzah, which is a part of the Islamic funeral ritual, was done for the victim on Tuesday at the Worcester Islamic Center, 248 East Mountain St. Burial followed at the Muslim section of Hope Cemetery.

The victim’s father is the Worcester Islamic Center’s property manager and Hifz school teacher in the center's Qur’an class.

A gofundme account was set up for burial costs (including grave plot, excavation, vault, marker and funeral home cost). The goal is $10,000. All excess funds will be given to the family to support them with short-term needs.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: CVS worker dies in hit-and-run on Route 9 in Shrewsbury