photo by Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Glen Rock NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the arrest of MARINA M. LEE (DOB: 6/18/1953; widowed; and employed as an office manager) of 100 Rock Road, #107, Hawthorne, New Jersey, on charges of Leaving The Scene Of A Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision, Endangering An Injured Victim, and Hindering Apprehension. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti and the Glen Rock Police Department under the direction of Chief Dean Ackermann.
At approximately 8:24 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, the Glen Rock Police Department received a report of a pedestrian struck by a hit and run vehicle on Lincoln Avenue, near the border with the Borough of Hawthorne. Upon their arrival at the scene, officers found a seriously injured male victim lying in the roadway. The ensuing investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and the Glen Rock Police Department, revealed that the victim was attempting to cross Lincoln Avenue when he was struck by a black SUV traveling north. A radio broadcast to local police agencies was issued seeking assistance in locating the striking vehicle. Shortly thereafter, Marina LEE was located with the striking vehicle in a parking lot at 55 Godwin Avenue in Midland Park.
The victim, later identified as Biagio Lembo (DOB: 5/24/53), was transported to Saint Joseph’s Medical Center and died on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.
LEE was originally arrested on March 5, 2019 and charged with one count of Leaving The Scene Of A Motor Vehicle Collision Resulting In Serious Bodily Injury, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1.1, a 3rd degree crime. On March 15, 2019, due to the death of the victim, LEE was charged with the additional counts of Leaving The Scene Of A Fatal Motor Vehicle Collision, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-5.1, a crime of the 2nd degree; one count of Endangering An Injured Victim, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1.2(a), a crime of the 3rd degree; and one count of Hindering Apprehension, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:29-3b, a crime of the 3rd degree. LEE was transported to Bergen County Jail pending a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, New Jersey.
Acting Prosecutor Calo states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and would also like to thank the Glen Rock, Hawthorne, and Midland Park Police Departments for their assistance in this investigation.