LYNDHURST — A Nutley man struck a woman with his vehicle, fled the area, and then called police to report a fake carjacking, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office announced Thursday.

Samuel Torres, 37, was arrested Wednesday and is charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in serious bodily injury, possession of a controlled dangerous substance, hindering apprehension, and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Lyndhurst police responded Tuesday night to a report of a motor vehicle accident near the intersection of Grant and Valley Brook avenues. They found a 56-year-old female lying on the side of the roadway with multiple injuries.

According to police, video recovered from the area showed that the victim was struck by a silver sedan that drove away from the scene.

The victim was transported to Hackensack University Medical Center where she remains in critical but stable condition.

A short time after police responded to the scene, authorities say, Torres contacted Lyndhurst police and reported that he was assaulted and knocked unconscious, and when he awoke, his car — a 2017 silver Toyota Camry — was missing.

An investigation determined that Torres was operating his vehicle at the time of the hit-and-run collision, and that he fabricated the carjacking report in an effort to conceal the crime.

Torres is scheduled for an initial court appearance on June 23.

Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.

NJ cracks down on polluters at these 9 sites

State environmental officials are working to get several property owners to clean up their acts around New Jersey, including in Middlesex, Mercer and Atlantic Counties.

Illegal dumping and gas and chemical contamination of water and soil are among the issues at hand in the state's lawsuits and requested court orders.

Seven lawsuits focused on "overburdened" communities address pollution in Camden, Trenton, Kearny, Secaucus, Edison, Bridgeton and Egg Harbor City, while two additional cases are based in Butler and Vineland.

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