A southern New Jersey couple has been charged in the death of a 72-year-old pedestrian who was struck and killed more than a year ago, the Burlington County prosecutor's office said Tuesday.
Ronald Zukowski was killed on the evening of Dec. 27, 2019 as he crossed a road in the Browns Mills section of Pemberton Township. On Tuesday, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced charges against 35-year-old Tonya Brown and her husband, 44-year-old Victor Brown, of Pemberton.
Prosecutors allege that Tonya Brown was driving a Nissan Pathfinder with her husband when she struck Zukowski, and the couple then drove away without stopping and covered the vehicle with a tarp. Investigators eventually matched paint chips from Zukowski’s clothing to paint from the Pathfinder, prosecutors said.
Tonya Brown is charged with second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal accident and third-degree endangering an injured victim and causing a death while driving without a license. She and her husband also were charged with hindering and evidence tampering.
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Both defendants were taken into custody last week and were scheduled for detention hearings on Wednesday. It wasn't immediately clear whether they had attorneys; a listed number for Victor Brown was no longer in service and a listed number for Tonya Brown couldn't be found Tuesday.
