🚔 Piscataway Man Arrested After Fatal Watchung Hit-and-Run
Authorities arrested a Piscataway man following a fatal hit-and-run that killed a pedestrian on U.S. Highway 22 in Watchung. Daniel Cole faces charges after investigators found his damaged vehicle and linked him to the early Saturday morning crash.
WATCHUNG, NJ — August 24, 2026 — A Piscataway man has been arrested after authorities say he fled the scene of a fatal pedestrian crash early Saturday morning in Watchung.
According to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, 32-year-old Daniel Cole was arrested in connection with the death of a 56-year-old Brooklyn man who was struck on U.S. Highway 22 West near Mountain Avenue.
Watchung police were notified at approximately 4:05 a.m. on August 22 that a pedestrian had been struck. Officers arrived to find the victim suffering from injuries consistent with being hit by a vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
🚔 Investigators from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office and Watchung Police Department, along with the Somerset County Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team, began working to identify the vehicle and driver.
Detectives eventually identified the vehicle as a Nissan Pathfinder and Cole as the suspected driver. A search warrant was obtained for Cole, his residence and the vehicle. Investigators located the Pathfinder at his home and found it had heavy front-end damage consistent with a collision, authorities said.
Cole was taken into custody at his residence without incident on August 22. He was charged with second-degree knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and third-degree hindering apprehension.
He was transported to the Watchung Police Department for processing and lodged in the Somerset County Jail pending a court hearing.
🔎 The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities awaiting the results of the victim’s autopsy and the Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team’s findings.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office at (908) 231-7100 or the Watchung Police Department at (908) 756-3663. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through the STOPit app using access code SOMERSETNJ, the Somerset County Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477), or SCPO.TIPS.
⚖️ All charges are accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
🕯️ Garden State News Network extends our condolences to the victim’s family and loved ones.
📸 Photo Credit: Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office