NJ driver faces upgraded DWI charge after hitting 65-year-old pedestrian

⚫ NJ man faces upgraded DWI charge

⚫ 65-year-old woman on sidewalk seriously hurt

⚫ Driver arrested nearly a month after SUV crash

A 40-year-old man has been dealt an upgraded charge stemming from an SUV crash that left a 65-year-old pedestrian seriously hurt last month.

Just after 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 8, North Bergen police responded to a crash in the area of Bergenline Avenue and 92nd Street.

The driver, Steve Inoa, of North Bergen, was initially charged with driving while intoxicated.

According to online payroll records, Inoa has worked at Union County Courthouse since 2019, earning a salary of $94,325 last year. In 2016, his job description was Senior Probation Officer.

A woman had been struck by a Honda Pilot while on the eastside sidewalk of the intersection, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.

The victim was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where she was initially in critical but stable condition.

On Tuesday, Inoa was charged with third-degree assault by auto while driving while intoxicated and causing serious bodily injury, Suarez confirmed.

He was processed and released from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Secaucus pending a first court appearance, tentatively set for Oct. 26.

Anyone with information about the crash was asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or leave an anonymous tip http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/.

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