A 2024 New Jersey cyclist crash is back in view through a BodyCamBust video posted Nov. 3, 2026. A driver who blamed her car’s damage on a curb later went to the police station for her phone. She learned she faced a new charge.
The case began Aug. 1 near the Sea Bright–Highlands Bridge. A 73-year-old cyclist was taken to the hospital, while police searched for the vehicle that had struck him and left.
Middletown police soon found a black Lexus with a shredded tire and a missing mirror. Its driver denied hitting anyone, even as officers questioned how the car had been damaged.
The official Middletown police blotter confirms the DUI arrest of the Old Bridge woman, then 44. Officers processed her and turned her over to Sea Bright police. The later assault-by-auto charge comes up in a recorded exchange in BodyCamBust’s video.
A Missing Piece
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At the roadside, the driver was trying to arrange help for her tire. Other motorists had stopped, but no one had a jack that could do the job.
An officer asked whether she had come from Sea Bright, where police were handling a hit-and-run. She denied it and blamed the tire trouble on a Dunkin’ parking lot.
“I hit a curb,” she said. She blamed other damage on a neighbor’s truck and said she had not filed a report.
Questions then turned to drinking. After first denying she had drunk anything, she said she had a glass of wine earlier that day.
During balance tests, she kept bringing up foot surgery. An officer said she lost her balance and did not follow the steps. She disagreed and asked to try again.
A supervisor gave her an eye test, then arrested her for DWI. Later, at the station, an officer explained what linked her Lexus to the crash.
“We have your side mirror sitting in our police station right now,” he said. He also pointed to hood damage that he described as consistent with hitting someone on a bicycle.
Lucky to Be Alive
On Aug. 9, the cyclist returned to speak with Sea Bright police. He recalled starting up the bridge when he was struck from behind, then finding himself on the ground.
His injuries included a collapsed lung, a broken rib, a concussion, and a puncture wound in his foot, he said. Doctors had also found blood in his brain, and his foot remained swollen.
Police played a video of the crash for him and his wife. After watching, he said, “I know I’m lucky to be alive, no question.”
One More Thing
When the driver returned Sept. 7 for her phone, an officer told her she faced fourth-degree assault by auto. Police would need to take her fingerprints and photos before she left.
“I would have never thought; I was just picking up my cell phone,” she said. She asked whether she could return after speaking with her lawyer.
The officer offered her a phone to make the call. She used a phone she had brought and explained that police wanted to process her on the new charge.
All parties are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.