Crime & Safety

Hillside Woman Charged in Fair Lawn Avenue Hit-and-Run

The driver is alleged to have knocked an elderly Fair Lawn woman to the ground in the driveway of a Fair Lawn Avenue strip mall on Jan. 31 and then sped off westbound on Fair Lawn Avenue, according to police.

Fair Lawn police charged a Hillside woman Monday in connection with a Jan. 31 hit-and-run accident on Fair Lawn Avenue that sent an elderly resident to the hospital.

The car's registered owner, Leslie Aiello, 51, faces numerous motor vehicle offenses, including failure to report a motor vehicle accident, failure to yield to a pedestrian, driving while suspended, failure to exhibit documents and leaving the scene of an accident with injuries, Lt. Derek Bastinck said. Criminal charges against Aiello are pending.

The accident occurred near the intersection of Fair Lawn Avenue and Chandler Drive, as the motorist was exiting the adjacent strip mall, police said.

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A witness at the scene told police that after hitting the elderly woman the driver stopped, looked back and appeared to observe the victim on the ground waving her arm, and then proceeded to drive off westbound on Fair Lawn Avenue.

The victim was immobilized on a gurney and taken to Valley Hospital with leg and hip injuries, according to police reports.

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Police were able to track down the car, identified as a green 2001 Toyota wagon, with the help of a witness who alertly spotted its license plate.

For over a week, officers have attempted to persuade Aiello to cooperate with the accident investigation, but she has retained a lawyer and declined to undergo police questioning at the station, Bastinck said.

Despite witness accounts that the car's driver was a man, Bastinck said Aiello implicated herself as the driver during a conversation with police prior to retaining a lawyer. Regardless of whether she was driving or not, Aiello -- as the registered owner of the vehicle -- is liable for the accident, Bastinck said.

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