Plainfield, NJ man sentenced for hit-and-run that injured 12-year-old

WATCHUNG — A Plainfield man who struck a 12-year-old boy with his vehicle and then immediately fled the scene has been sentenced to five years in prison, authorities announced on Tuesday.

Bryant Eggleston, 51, will be ineligible for parole for 18 months. He entered a guilty plea on May 10 to multiple crimes related to the 2019 incident.

According to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office, Watchung police were alerted around 6:50 p.m. on Oct. 8, 2019, of a pedestrian struck on Valley Road. Authorities discovered a 12-year-old male with serious bodily injuries. The juvenile victim survived the event.

A 15-month investigation into the hit-and-run revealed that a white 2013 Hyundai Sonata was the vehicle that hit the boy. Authorities were then able to identify Eggleston as the vehicle's owner and operator at the time of the incident.

Eggleston was arrested at his home without incident in early Februrary. He was charged and convicted on charges of third degree Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Accident Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury; third degree Endangering an Injured Victim; fourth degree Hindering Apprehension or Prosecution; and fourth degree Tampering with Physical Evidence. Eggleston was also sentenced on motor vehicle summonses for Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Accident and Failure to Report an Accident.

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