NJ Troopers Charge Texas Man in Fatal Garden State Parkway Hit-and-run Crash

State troopers say a man from Texas has been arrested in connection to a fatal hit-and-run accident on the Garden State Parkway last month.

31-year-old Fornice Cary Boatner III of Cleveland, TX, was taken into custody on May 28th for the death of 31-year-old Felipe Dos-Santos of Elizabeth, according to the New Jersey State Police.

Authorities say in the early morning hours of May 22nd, Felipe was walking northbound on the shoulder of the Garden State Parkway in the area of milepost 130.4 in Woodbridge Township when he was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene. During the crash, Felipe suffered fatal injuries but it wasn't until May 25th that his body was discovered in a ditch along the side of the road.

Through various investigative means, detectives from the Troop “D” Criminal Investigation Office identified the suspect vehicle as a 2007 silver Dodge Ram with a temporary Texas license plate. Detectives developed Boatner as the suspect after discovering he was the owner of the vehicle and obtained information that he fled New Jersey to Cleveland, TX following the crash.

During the course of their work, detectives also discovered that Boatner was wanted out of Houston in connection to another hit-and-run accident.

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On May 28, law enforcement officers located Boatner and his Dodge Ram in Cleveland, TX, and he was taken into custody.

During the on-going investigation, detectives...obtained evidence linking Boatner and his Dodge Ram to the crash. Detectives also determined that Boatner made repairs to the vehicle after the crash in an attempt to conceal the damage sustained.

Boatner III has been charged with vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash causing death, hindering, obstruction, and tampering with evidence. He was extradited back to New Jersey on June 10th and is being held in the Middlesex County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing.

The public is reminded that charges are accusations and all persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.