Death of teacher in Dumont car crash was 42nd this year and part of disturbing trend
When Elizabeth Feliciano-Rosa died Thursday night from injuries sustained when she was struck by a car in Dumont, she was the 42nd pedestrian killed this year in New Jersey, one ahead of the pace set at this time in 2023 and two ahead of 2022.
Though New Jersey ranks 19th in terms of pedestrians killed each year, in the last decade or so the number of pedestrian deaths has been creeping back up from its nadir in the aughts, when the number of deaths dipped below 140 three times between 2000 and 2010.
Since 2014, after decades of steady if gradual decline, the rates have crept back, and in 2021 they hit a 10-year high of 217 pedestrians killed, New Jersey State Police figures show. Last year 177 pedestrians were killed.
New Jersey's Transportation Department attributed the spikes to increased speeds seen nationally since the start of the pandemic, larger vehicles and increased distraction among drivers and walkers, spokesman Stephen Schapiro said in a statement.
"Federal data shows speeding-related deaths went up 23% from 2019 to 2020, even as the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in less traffic on the roadways," Schapiro said. "Another factor that should be considered is the proliferation of cellphone use and other mobile devices in the past 30 years that has led to an increase in distracted behavior, which includes both driving and walking."
There has been no indication that Feliciano-Rosa or the driver, 94-year-old Ernest Hofmann, was distracted. At 54, Feliciano-Rosa fell squarely into the demographic most likely to be struck.
None of this is likely to matter to the Dumont community, which is mourning the loss of Feliciano-Rosa, a well regarded teacher for Englewood schools.
A GoFundMe page created to raise $25,000 to offset family funeral expenses had raised $36,000 by Monday afternoon.
Attempts to contact Hofmann, who was charged by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office with knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident that resulted in a death and obstruction, were not successful.
Hofmann was initially sent to the Bergen County Jail pending his first appearance. He was released on his own recognizance on March 16, Bergen County Jail documents show.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Deadly week on North Jersey roads part of spike in pedestrian deaths
