Texas man charged in fatal Garden State Parkway hit-and-run crash in Woodbridge
WOODBRIDGE - A 31-year-old Texas man was extradited back to New Jersey, where he is facing vehicular homicide and other charges in connection with a May 22 fatal hit-and-run crash on the Garden State Parkway in which an Elizabeth man's body was found in a roadside ditch.
Fornice Cary Boatner III of Cleveland, Texas, also was charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash causing death, hindering, obstruction and tampering with evidence, New Jersey State Police announced in a Facebook post.
Boatner was brought back to New Jersey earlier this month and was being held at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick pending a detention hearing.
On May 25, New Jersey State Police from the Holmdel Station responded to a report of a body found in a ditch off the Garden State Parkway at milepost 130.4 in Woodbridge.
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Detectives from the Troop “D” Criminal Investigation Office, State Police Major Crime Unit, Crime Scene Investigation Unit and Fatal Accident Investigation Unit, along with members of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Investigation Unit, identified the victim as Felipe Dos-Santos, 31, of Elizabeth and began investigating the crash, State Police said.
The investigation determined that around 1 a.m. May 22 Dos-Santos was apparently walking northbound on the shoulder of the Garden State Parkway in the area of milepost 130.4, when he was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene after the crash and continued traveling north. Dos-Santos suffered fatal injuries in the crash, according to the State Police.
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State Police said detectives from the Troop “D” Criminal Investigation Office identified the suspect's vehicle as a 2007 silver Dodge Ram truck with a temporary Texas license plate. Boatner was identified as the suspect after officials learned he was the owner of the vehicle and obtained information that he fled New Jersey to Cleveland, Texas, following the crash. Detectives also discovered that Boatner was wanted out of Houston, Texas, in connection to another hit-and-run accident, State Police said.
On May 28, Boatner and his Dodge Ram were located in Cleveland, Texas, by members of the Houston Police Department and Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, both in Texas. A short time later, members of the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office arrested Boatner at his residence. He was lodged in the Liberty County Jail.
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During the ongoing investigation, New Jersey State Police detectives assisted by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, Liberty County Sheriff’s Office and Federal Bureau of Investigations - Houston Evidence Response Team, obtained evidence linking Boatner and his truck to the crash. Detectives also determined that Boatner allegedly made repairs to the vehicle after the crash in an attempt to conceal the damage, New Jersey State Police said.
The Middlesex County Medical Examiner's Office, Memphis Police Department in Tennessee, Gwinnett County Police Department in Georgia and Liberty County 75th District Attorney’s Office also assisted in the investigation. The case is being prosecuted by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Woodbridge NJ Parkway fatal hit-and-run: Texas man charged
