Police Lack Clues, Seek Old Truck in Fatal Hit-and-Run

A day after an East Orange man was , police are still searching for the driver and working with little information.

The incident, which happened just after 4 a.m. Wednesday, killed Christopher Simmons, 22, as he was walking along the roadway.

Multiple calls were made to police after Simmons was struck, Hackettstown Police Det. Darren Tynan said, but only one witness was able to give information when authorities arrived.

Police are actively searching for an older, beat-up, green dump truck the witness said was the vehicle that struck Simmons.

“At the time of the incident, it was down pouring,” Tynan said. “It’s always possible, with a vehicle that size and weight, and the conditions, the driver may not even know what happened.”

The vehicle struck Simmons just south of the Mountain Avenue and Route 46 intersection, near a Shell gas station. Tynan said police are checking all surveillance videos from businesses in the area to find more information.

Tynan said it is also unclear as to why Simmons, and East Orange resident, was walking through Hackettstown at 4 a.m. His whereabouts prior to his death are still unclear, Tynan said.

Hackettstown Police ask anyone with information regarding the fatal hit-and-run from Wednesday call the department at 908-852-3302.