By Nicole M. Wells, Special Writer
CRANBURY — Officials are not releasing the name of a 52-year-old East Windsor man who was hit by a box truck while bicycling on Route 130 last month.
The man was struck on July 17 on the southbound side of the highway in the vicinity of Old Trenton Road, according to police.
He remains in critical condition at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton more than a month after the accident, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Jim O’Neill.
According to Mr. O’Neill, the prosecutor’s office is withholding the man’s identity because "(the victim) has an expectation of privacy."
The driver of the truck has been identified as Eric J. Kathcart Sr., 37, of Somerville.
The truck that struck the man was a 2006 white International 4300 that is owned by All Jersey Moving & Storage Inc., Mr. O’Neill said.
According to Mr. O’Neill, Cranbury police issued Mr. Kathcart five traffic summonses, charging him with careless driving, reckless driving, failure to keep right, impeding the flow of traffic and operating a motor vehicle in an unsafe manner.
Immediately after the accident, Cranbury Chief of Police Rickey Varga referred all media inquiries to the prosecutor’s office and Mr. O’Neill.
During the past month, The Cranbury Press has repeatedly requested that the prosecutor’s office release the identity of the bicyclist or provide a compelling reason for failing to do so. Each time these requests have been either ignored or denied.
It is unclear what the criteria for having an expectation of privacy are, as the prosecutor’s office routinely identifies individuals involved in any given accident or other incident in press releases as standard operating procedure.
According to the New Jersey Press Association, police accident reports are "open to public inspection and copying and ‘the information therein shall not be privileged or held confidential,’" as per N.J.S.A. 39:4-131.
Additionally, Executive Order 69, signed by former Gov. Christine Whitman, holds that information related to crimes "shall be available to the public within 24 hours, or sooner if practicable."
According to the order, the basic facts of the incident – such as the identifying information of the individuals involved – should be provided upon request.
The behavior of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office stands in contrast to that of the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office.
Less than 24 hours after a fatal accident involving a dump truck in Lawrence on July 16, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office issued a press release with the identities of the individuals involved, as well as all other pertinent information about the accident.
The Cranbury Press continues its efforts to try to identify the 52-year-old East Windsor victim.

