On Saturday November 10th, a bicyclist who had just exited a Tenafly bicycle shop and was traveling on County Road near the Tenafly Racket Club, was struck by a moving vehicle. The Tenafly Police Department received a call reporting the hit-and-run by the intersection between County Road and Mahan Street at 4:15 p.m. Later, observation of the surveillance video from the local bicycle shop showed a white SUV going out of control and hitting a telephone pole before striking the bicyclist.

According to a press release from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, when police arrived on the scene, they found a 28-year-old male New York City resident sprawled on the ground with multiple injuries, including a broken leg and face lacerations. The victim was rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was treated. According to Channel 4 News, the cyclist was with a friend when he was struck by the car. The other cyclist was uninjured. A witness at the scene noted the license plate of the hit-and-run vehicle and reported it to police. 

“We were in the shop and heard tires screeching. One of our customers had just left and came back and said a bicyclist had been hit,” said Daniel Santora, an employee of the Tenafly Bicycle Shop, in an article on northjersey.com. “We called 911 and ran out and tried to keep things under control. There was blood everywhere. His leg was broken. His face was messed up. His bike was smashed up. The driver didn’t even stop. He drove up on our neighbor’s grass and just took off. I hope they catch him.” 

Catch him they did. On November 13th, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the arrest of 62-year-old Cresskill resident Peter J. Lee. He was charged with Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Collision Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury and Assault by Auto. Lee is scheduled for a first appearance at the Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack on Wednesday, November 28th.