2006 Media Releases:

CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
JAMES P. LYNCH, ACTING CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR
MEDIA INFORMATION

March 30, 2006

Acting Camden County Prosecutor James P. Lynch and Berlin Borough Police Chief Lawrence Winters reported that a 19-year-old woman was charged today with Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Motor Vehicle Crash on March 5, 2006, in Berlin Borough, N.J.

Melissa Strasser, of Rose Lane in Berlin Township, is charged in connection with the collision that killed Warren L. Grumbling, 59. The victim, of Berlin, died of multiple injuries when he was struck by a vehicle while walking on Cross Keys Road. Strasser was issued a summons and released pending a yet-to-be-scheduled court date. The third-degree charge carries a maximum five-year prison term upon conviction. However, unlike other third-degree offenses, there is no presumption of non-imprisonment for a person convicted of Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Motor Vehicle Crash.

On Sunday, March 5, Berlin Borough Police responded to the intersection of Cross Keys Road and Colonial Park Drive at approximately 2:01 a.m. for a report of a hit-and-run crash. The victim was transported to Virtua Hospital in Voorhees, where he was pronounced dead at 2:14 a.m.

Investigation indicates that Grumbling was walking north on the right-hand side of Cross Keys Road when a vehicle traveling in the same direction struck him. A private citizen who witnessed the crash related that the vehicle that struck the victim left the scene without stopping.

The witness provided a limited description of the vehicle. At approximately 9 a.m. on March 5, Berlin Township Police Sgt. William Hill observed a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle – a beige Chrysler Sebring convertible – in the driveway of a home on Rose Lane. Investigation revealed that the defendant, a resident of the home, was the last person to operate the vehicle and that she arrived home at approximately 2:15 a.m. that day.

Investigators recovered physical evidence from the vehicle, which had sustained damage to the front passenger side quarter panel and windshield consistent with having been involved in a collision.

Earlier today, staff members of the Prosecutor’s Office and the Berlin Borough Police met with the victim’s family members to brief them on the case and to respond to their questions.

All persons charged with criminal offenses are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.