Update: Hit-And-Run Driver Smashes Hole In Community Center Wall, Headlight Recovered

Police said a maroon Chevrolet Impala, model year 2000-2005, crashed into the side wall of the township Senior Citizen/Community Center early in the morning of Oct. 21, and then fled the scene.

Update: What a police spokesman called “good, old-fashioned police work” resulted in the discovery that a township man drove the car that  smashed into the side of the community center.

Police said that Joseph Driggers, Jr. 40, of Somerset was identified as the driver of the 2001 Chevy Impala that hit the building before fleeing the scene.

“We had a couple of tips and good, old-fashioned police work,” said FTPD Lt. Philip Rizzo.

Driggers was cited for Reckless Driving, Careless Driving, Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Accident with Property Damage, and Failing to Report a Motor Vehicle Accident with Property Damage, according to a police statement. A date in township municipal court has yet to be scheduled.

Original Story: An estimated $20,000 in damages was caused early in the morning of Oct. 21 when a car apparently crashed through a side wall of the Senior Citizen/Community Center in the municipal complex off DeMott Lane.

The car fled the scene after the accident, according to information posted on the department’s Facebook page.

The Franklin Township Police Traffic Safety Bureau determined the car was a 2000 to 2005 maroon Chevrolet Impala, according to the posted information.

Skid marks on a curb and macadam opposite where a car crashed into a wall in the Senior Citizen/Community Center.

FTPD spokesman Lt. Philip Rizzo said a headlight from the car recovered at the scene aided in the auto’s identification.

Tread marks leading toward the building could be seen on a curb and on macadam in the parking lot paralleling the crash scene.

Carl Hauck, the township’s engineer, was surveying the scene later in the morning. He estimated the damage at $20,000.

The vehicle will have heavy front-end damage, the police posting said.

Anyone with information about the crash of the suspect car is asked to contact Sgt. Erik Hagman at (732) 873-5533 extension 3111 or erik.hagman@twp.franklin.nj.us. They can also contact the Franklin Township Police Department Dispatch Center at (732) 873-2300.

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