Student charged in Robbinsville superintendent's fatal hit-and-run

More than two months after a Central New Jersey school superintendent allegedly was killed by a student's car when he was out for a run with his dog, authorities on Thursday charged the female driver in the educator's death.

The driver, now 18, was charged with death by auto and leaving the scene of a fatal motor-vehicle accident, both second-degree crimes, the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office and the Robbinsville Township Police Department said in a statement.

The teen's name is not being released because she was 17, and thus a juvenile, at the time of the crash, authorities said.

Robbinsville School Superintendent Steven Mayer, 52, was running with his dog about 6:15 a.m. April 19 when he was hit on Robbinsville-Edinburg Road just north of Pond Road, near his home. The dog also was killed.

The teen was talking on a cellphone and driving in a reckless manner when her vehicle struck Mayer, authorities said.

Casey DeBlasio, spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office, previously told NJ.com that after the crash, the teen, a Robbinsville High School senior, drove to the nearby Pond Road Middle School, called police, identified herself and said she thought she hit someone.

The Prosecutor's Office said its investigators and Robbinsville police conducted a comprehensive investigation before deciding on the charges. The investigation including reviewing witness statements and physical evidence as well as reconstructing the crash.

The teen was also issued citations charging her with reckless driving and improper use of a cellphone while driving, the Prosecutor's Office said.

She will be required to appear in Family Court before a Superior Court judge. A hearing date has not been scheduled. Juvenile hearings are not open to the public.

Mayer was survived by his wife, Donna, a teacher in the district, and three sons.

Township sources have said the student was rushing to get to school for a class trip when she struck Mayer and his dog. The student was taken to a crisis center after the accident; the trip to New York City was canceled.

Mayer was hired as superintendent in July 2009. Previously, he served as a principal in the West Windsor-Plainsboro School District.

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