Years before he ran over woman 3 times, accused NJ road-rager seriously injured biker

ELIZABETH — A man accused of attempted murder for running over a woman three times with his car on Tuesday morning has faced similar charges in the past.

Vincent Jean admitted ramming into a motorcycle in a parking lot in 2007.

Jean is now charged with violently running over a 23-year-old woman three times on the front lawn of an Elizabeth house after they had been involved in a fender bender. When the woman started taking pictures of the vehicles because she thought Jean was going to leave, he drove at her with his as she ran for her life, officials said.

During an interview with investigators who showed him a video of the incident, Jean said he didn't see Scott and that his car "slipped," according to officials.

This is not the first time that Jean has been accused of using his vehicle as a weapon.

In October 2007, Jean was charged in Wayne after he purposely drove a 2004 Ford Ranger into a Honda motorcycle while someone was sitting on it in the rear parking lot of a Costco store on Willowbrook Boulevard.

The name of the victim was redacted by the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office to protect their privacy. The complaint did not disclose the circumstances of the incident.

As a result of that arrest, Jean pleaded guilty in 2009 to aggravated assault causing severe bodily injury. A judge granted him pre-trial intervention with a sentence that he served on weekends, according to court records.

Recovery for Morgan Scott

The victim in Tuesday's attack was identified as Morgan Scott, an Elizabeth municipal employee. According to a GoFundMe page created to help with medical expenses,  Scott suffered deep gashes on over 60% of her body, severe road rash, a broken femur, lacerated liver, broken ribs and severe back injuries.

Scott has a long recovery ahead of her, according to friend James Carey. The GoFundMe page has set a goal of $100,000 to go towards her medical bills after insurance refused to pay.

"The insurance company informed her father that they couldn't pay her medical expenses because her injuries weren't from an accident, 'THEY WERE INTENTIALLY INFLICTED,'" Carey wrote.

Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage told New Jersey 101.5 that her auto insurance would normally be used to pay medical expenses related to injuries suffered by a pedestrian in a crash because New Jersey is a no-fault state.

Scott is covered by the state health benefits plan offered to city workers.

"She has coverage, it just depends on what coverage she has," Bollwage said, adding that each plan has "nuances."

A copy of the state benefits plan shows that the state plan will provide secondary coverage to the personal injury protection plan unless the state plan has been chosen as the primary coverage by the employee.

Jean has been charged with first-degree attempted murder, second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, third-degree assault by auto, third-degree leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident with serious bodily injury, third-degree endangering an injured victim and third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. He is being held at the Union County Jail.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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