POINT PLEASANT — Police arrested the woman they say critically injured a 14-year-old girl in a hit-and-run on Thursday night.

Brittany Keifer, 26, of Point Pleasant, was arrested on Friday and charged with fourth-degree assault by auto, third-degree leaving the scene of an accident with serious bodily injury, as well as motor vehicle summons for reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident involving injury and failure to report an accident.

Keifer has been released from custody.

 

At about 10:30 p.m. Thursday, the driver of a dark sedan struck the girl as she rode her bike across Route 88 at Sunset Avenue, according to Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

The car carried the girl on its hood for about 15 to 20 feet before she fell off, authorities said.

The car left the scene and headed toward Brick on Route 88.

Point Pleasant Borough Police Chief Richard Larsen said thanks to tips from their initial release of details about the incident to the media and on their own social pages, detectives from both his and the Ocean County prosecutor's offices found the car believed to be involved.

"The car was at her house under a tarp on her property. We impounded that vehicle and several hours later we were able to locate the driver. She and her attorney appeared at our headquarters later that night," Larsen told New Jersey 101.5.

Larsen would not disclose why Keifer said she fled the scene.

Friends took the girl off the street and tried to stop her bleeding, according to Corinne Ajjan, the mother of one her friends.  She was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

Police did not disclose the identity of the teen, who was listed in critical condition Friday.

Friends identified her on a Go Fund Me page as "Emma-Mae" and said she was in ICU with severe injuries. The page had raised over $11,000 in 22 hours as of Saturday morning.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

More From 94.3 The Point