Police: 2 people injured in hit-and-run crash at Edison car show

Two people are recovering from injuries they sustained when they were struck by an out-of-control driver who then left the scene of a car show in Edison.

News 12 Staff

Aug 29, 2022, 8:30 PM

Updated 775 days ago

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Two people are recovering from injuries they sustained when they were struck by an out-of-control driver who then left the scene of a car show in Edison.
The crash happened Sunday night near the New Jersey Convention Center in Edison. People were gathered for Wekfest, which is a show for custom car enthusiasts.
A video sent to News 12 New Jersey by a witness shows the driver of a green BMW lose control and crash into a group of people standing on a grassy area on the side of the road. The video then appears to show the driver of the BMW driving away.
Police say two people were hit – a 49-year-old South Plainfield man who suffered a head injury and a 20-year-old West Orange man who hurt his leg. Both were taken to the hospital and have since been released.
“It’s cool to rev your engine, but when you start driving erratically and driving and doing stuff like this, this is what can happen,” says Mark B., who witnessed the crash.
Mark gave News 12 his video so that it could be used to send the message that driving recklessly has consequences.
“I try to tell people that to do this drifting or swinging on a track,” Mark says. “But to do this on the street – it ruins the culture for a lot of our car community.”
This is what the Edison Police Department says as well.
Police have identified the driver as Darius Gomez. Gomez has indicated in an Instagram post that he was responsible for the crash and plans to turn himself in.
“Leaving the scene of the accident was the worst decision I ever made,” the Instagram post read.
“You’re taking what’s a nice event, a good event where people are coming to admire people’s cars…and you’re now putting a negative connotation on it because of one person driving irrationally,” says Deputy Chief Robert Dudash.
Gomez has yet to turn himself in.
Dudash says that Gomez should come to the department sooner than later so that police can get his side of the story – and what charges could possibly be filed.
News 12 is also told that one of the victims had a pet turtle with him at the time, who was also hurt and was treated at a local animal hospital.