It was supposed to be a pleasant family night out. It ended with two brothers in the hospital – one with his leg amputated and the other in a coma following brain surgery.
The two Union City siblings were heading home with their sister and a friend about 9:50 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14 when they were struck by a car that jumped the curb heading south on Kennedy Boulevard between 31st and 32nd Streets in North Bergen.
The car, identified by police as a red 2008 to 2011 Nissan Rogue with tinted windows, sped off without stopping. Police were interviewing suspects on Thursday by press time, and may have made an arrest by the time of publication.
Michael Makarski, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, said, “We don’t have video of the two victims being struck, but we do have CCTV footage from about three seconds before the accident took place. The next camera caught them a little down the block and that same car is totally damaged.”
“We have dedicated significant resources to finding the driver of the vehicle.” –Frank Schillari
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Shortly before 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 19, police seized a vehicle they believed was involved in the hit and run, near 72nd Street in West New York. “It was hidden from view, covered by a big blue tarp,” said Makarski. “It appeared to be intentionally hidden.”
Police interviewed two people and were still seeking a third person of interest. Police ask that any witnesses call the tip line at (201) 915-1300. All calls are confidential.
Brothers in critical condition
Michael Viruet, 20, had just taken his brother Adrian, 11, sister Mileen, 15, and a friend of Mileen’s to see the movie Dumb and Dumber Two at the Columbia Park movie theater in North Bergen. They were walking on the sidewalk toward the pedestrian bridge to cross Kennedy Boulevard when the red Nissan jumped the curb and slammed into the two boys.
According to the sheriff’s office, Michael hit the wall while his younger brother was thrown in the air and impaled through his neck and arms on a white cast iron fence bordering the sidewalk. He was left hanging from the fence until rescuers arrived.
The two girls, walking a few feet behind, narrowly escaped being hit.
The victims were taken to Jersey City Medical Center. The younger brother, Adrian, was transferred to Hackensack University Medical Center for pediatric surgery.
Surgeons attempted to reattach Michael’s leg, which was severely injured in the incident, but were unable to do so, and his right leg was amputated over the weekend. Since then he has “taken a nasty turn,” according to a spokesman, and developed pneumonia. He is listed in critical condition and has been placed in a medically induced coma.
The younger brother, Adrian, underwent several operations including brain surgery. As of Wednesday night he was doing slightly better and was off a respirator and breathing on his own. Still listed in critical condition, he was semiconscious and not yet speaking.
The boys’ older brother, Chris Bonilla, has set up a GoFundMe page to help pay for the medical expenses. The site is available at http://www.gofundme.com/michaelandadrian. As of Thursday donors had contributed over $12,000 toward a stated goal of $20,000.
Preventing future accidents
“We absolutely believe that speed was a contributing factor,” said Makarski, noting that there were skid marks on the curb.
Until a suspect is identified there is no way to know if alcohol or any other substances were involved.
Subsequent to the incident, freeholder-elect Anthony Vainieri called on Hudson County to install guard rails along Kennedy Boulevard near the Columbia Park shopping center to prevent future incidents.
Because Kennedy Boulevard is a county road, Hudson County has jurisdiction rather than the local municipalities.
“Kennedy Boulevard at 31st and 32nd streets has a dangerous mix of heavy vehicle traffic with the approach to the Lincoln Tunnel and many pedestrians walking to and from nearby shopping areas,” said Vainieri in a statement. “What happened to these young men was an absolute tragedy and the county needs to act to prevent something like this from happening again.”
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.