Suspect arrested in hit-and-run that killed horse, injured teenage girl in Franklin Township
Joseph Devitis, 51, has been arrested and charged in a hit-and-run crash that killed a horse and injured a teenage girl. (Franklin Township Police Department)
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, N.J. - The driver accused of hitting a teenage girl riding her horse in Franklin Township last Thursday has been arrested and charged, police say.
The teen, 14, was riding horseback on Monroeville Road when they were struck by a car, per police.
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The horse died on the scene and the girl was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to officials.
Police say they developed information that the suspect's car was at a residence on Buck Road near the border of Salem and Gloucester Counties.
After executing a search warrant on the property Tuesday, detectives located the suspected vehicle hidden in a wooded area and they collected DNA evidence.
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Authorities say Joseph Devitis, 51, of Salem County admitted that he was the driver of the vehicle on Wednesday.
Devitis has been charged with assault by auto, endangering an injured victim, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash, animal cruelty and related offenses.