Elderly driver killed in Neptune, NJ multi-car hit-and-run crash

NEPTUNE — An elderly man is dead following a multi-car hit-and-run collision in this township.

The crash happened on Monday just before 9 a.m. on West Bangs Avenue, west of Alpine Trail, according to Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey.

Police who responded to the scene discovered that 84-year-old Wesley Moore Jr, of Asbury Park, had been driving a 2020 Nissan Altima when his vehicle was sideswiped by a 2018 Kia Niro driven by 48-year-old Ariel Vernet, also of Asbury Park.

After the initial collision, Moore's vehicle continued to run off the road, colliding with a chain-link fence. Police said Moore died from injuries suffered in the crash with the fence.

Moore had two other people in his car, a woman passenger in the front seat and a young child in the back seat. Both were uninjured.

Meantime, Vernet's vehicle sideswiped a second car, a 2001 Mercury, driven by a 42-year-old Neptune woman. The Mercury was then rear-ended by a 2017 GMC Canyon, driven by a 34-year-old man, also from Neptune.

Vernet left the scene of the accident but was found later that day in Asbury Park. He was charged with one count of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle collision and was released on a summons.

The crash remains under investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, Monmouth County SCART, and Neptune Township Police Department.

Jen Ursillo is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at jennifer.ursillo@townsquaremedia.com

Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story.

​​