By: Brian Shappell
Two South Brunswick women injured in a Deans Rhode Hall Road car accident Thursday are on the road to recovery.
Meanwhile, police believe they may have identified a driver who may have been partly responsible for causing the accident.
Maria Hage-Boutros, 18, and her sister, Jamilli Hage-Boutros, 19, were hospitalized at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick after an accident at 11:18 p.m. Thursday when their 1999 BMW hit a utility pole after attempting to avoid hitting a dark-colored vehicle. The car, which witnesses described as a black Nissan 300 ZX with a T-top roof, was driven without lights on.
Maria Hage-Boutros, who was driving the car at the time of the accident, was thrown from the car. She was not wearing a seatbelt, police said.
She was upgraded from critical to stable condition on Tuesday, according to a hospital representative. However, she may require shoulder surgery as a result of the accident.
Jamilli Hage-Boutros, who was wearing a seatbelt and remained in the car after the accident, was released from the hospital Monday.
The sisters, daughters of local restaurant owner Pierre Hage-Boutros, were driving to Pierre’s Restaurant to check on an alarm call at the business. More than $6,000 was stolen from the business during an office break-in three days earlier.
Witnesses told police the Nissan left the Washington Cemetery on Deans Rhode Hall Road and pulled in front of the BMW, causing Maria Hage-Boutros to swerve and hit the utility pole. After the crash, the Nissan left the scene. It was seen turning north on Fresh Ponds Road off Deans-Rhode Hall Road east. Police spokesman Detective Jim Ryan said investigators believe they have identified the driver of the Nissan and plan to question the man, believed to be a township resident, by week’s end.
"We’re waiting for more information, but we’re about 90 percent sure we know the identity of the driver," Detective Ryan said.
Detective Ryan said a wide range of charges could be filed, but nothing is definite until the investigation progresses further. He said if charges are filed against the driver, police will do so within one week.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Patrol Officer Lazlo Nyitrai of the South Brunswick Traffic Safety Bureau at (732) 329-4000, ext. 430.
