PEDESTRIAN HIT ON PROSPECT WAS JITNEY PASSENGER

The man struck by a car last week on Prospect Street and hospitalized had just gotten off a Township Jitney bus at the corner of Elmwood Avenue and was thrown more than 100 feet to the Jennifer Lane intersection, according to police reports.

We told you last week about the incident on Dec. 23 in which the man was sent to the hospital and an ongoing investigation sparked.

Police reports obtained by Maplewoodian.com indicate the victim, a Prospect Street resident, got on the Jitney bus at the train station and actually missed his normal stop, falling asleep. When the driver alerted him, he exited the bus at Elmwood and Prospect.

At that time, the driver of another vehicle, a Hillcrest Road woman, was traveling northbound on Prospect and told police she did not see the victim immediately because the Jitney was blocking her view. 

The police report said the driver immediately stopped and called 9-1-1. It also said the man was thrown 106 feet, but his shoes were found 40 feet from the incident and his hat 50 feet. 

The victim was initially bleeding from the head and unresponsive, but was taken to University Medical Center in Newark and is recovering.

Maplewoodian.com has chosen not to identify the victim or the driver as the investigation is continuing.