Teen in critical condition after Shore hit-and-run

Authorities are searching for a driver that fled after striking and critically injuring a teenage girl in Ocean County.

The 14-year-old girl was hit while riding her bicycle on Route 88 near Sunset Avenue in Point Pleasant shortly after 10:30 p.m. Thursday, said Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Al Della Fave.

A preliminary investigation reveals that the driver of a black sedan traveling in the eastbound direction along Route 88 struck the girl as she attempted to cross the roadway, the spokesman said.

The bicyclist then rolled onto the vehicle’s hood and windshield, according to Della Fave.

“The vehicle’s driver callously continued driving after the impact, carrying the victim on the vehicle hood for a distance before she was thrown free off the vehicle,” the spokesman said.

Prosecutors say the driver continued eastbound on Route 88 with possible damage to the front-end and windshield.

The girl was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where she is in critical condition, Della Fave said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-929-2027 x3257 or the Point Pleasant Police Department at 732-892-0060.