Man, 44, gets assault by auto after collision with boy, 10

EAST BRUNSWICK - A township man was arrested after he allegedly struck and injured a 10-year-old pedestrian while driving his car in front of a shopping center and then left the scene.

Police said Troy Samuels, 44, was driving in the parking lot of Dick's Sporting Goods at 8:48 p.m. Saturday when he hit the boy, of Metuchen, causing a broken leg. The boy was crossing from Dick's to Joyce Leslie to meet his mother when he was struck by the black four-door vehicle, according to a police report.

A witness observed the driver, later identified as Samuels, stop and exit his vehicle, help the youth to his feet, and then leave the scene, police said. The witness had been able to observe the license plate and turned the information over to arriving officers.

The boy who was hit told police that he observed the driver on a cell phone at the time of the accident.

Police tracked Samuels to his East Brunswick residence, and after a follow-up investigation charged him with reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident and failure to use a hands-free device.

Samuels was also charged criminally with assault by auto. He was released with a court date.