NJ driver gets prison for hit-and-run that killed 14-year-old on bike

A 64-year-old Middlesex County man who admitted to a hit-and-run that killed a 14-year-old on a bicycle will serve less than five years in prison before being eligible for parole.

Michael Arena was arrested on July 7, 2023, hours after his white work van struck Bryan Barbosa in their hometown of South River.

Read More: NJ man arrested after deadly hit and run

On Dec. 8, Arena pleaded guilty to second-degree charges of vehicular homicide and knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash, resulting in death.

While Arena’s aggregate sentence is 15 years in prison, only a five-year sentence for vehicular homicide is subject to the No Early Release Act.

During the sentencing on Tuesday, Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Sheree Pitchford made note of Arena’s 14 previous vehicle-related convictions out of Delaware, MyCentralJersey reported.

Upon his release, his driver’s license would be suspended for a year.

Barbosa’s mother delivered remarks at the sentencing, forgiving Arena for causing the death of her only son, according to the same report.

Arena also delivered an apology to the boy’s family, saying that he wished he could take back what happened last summer.

ABC7 Eyewitness News shared a surveillance video caught by a neighbor’s camera last summer showing the awful moments before impact.

The report aired before Arena’s arrest.