Teen rider injured, horse killed in Gloucester County hit-and-run crash

FRANKLIN TWP., New Jersey (WPVI) -- Police in Gloucester County are looking for the driver who left the scene of a crash that killed a horse and injured a 14-year-old girl.

"All I remember was screaming for her to get out of the street. And by the time I told her to get out the street, it was too late because the car had hit her," said Edgar Galarza.

Galarza was horseback riding Tuesday with his younger cousin, who he refers to as his sister, in Franklin Township along Monroeville Road.

Police said around 7:30 p.m., a pickup truck hit the girl and the horse she was riding.

"My sister fell, so really my focus was finding my sister. And the car fled," said Galarza. "He didn't even stop."

The family has identified the victim as 14-year-old Tatiana Feliciano.

"She couldn't breathe because when the car hit her, she flew in the air," said Galarza, describing Tatiana just after the crash.

She was sent to Cooper University Hospital with non-life threatening injuries and listed in stable condition.

But the family's 15-year-old horse named Predator died on the scene.

Police are searching for the vehicle that left the scene, likely an older model, light-colored pickup truck.

Police said the vehicle fled westbound on Monroeville Road towards Buck Road.

"It would have damage to the passenger side, specifically the front near the mirror," said Franklin Township Police Deputy Chief Matthew Decesari.

Neighbor Michael Pfrommer was standing outside his home when it happened and called 911.

"It happened so fast. I saw the truck going and I thought to myself, 'He's going to hit them,'" said Pfrommer. "And before the thought got finished in my head, it already happened."

Pfrommer said he was in disbelief when the truck left.

"The sound was so loud, it sounded like 50 to 60 miles an hour into a brick wall. It was like the sound of a small explosion. It was loud," he said.

Tatiana's family hopes the driver comes forward.

"What he did was wrong. You don't just hit someone and leave," said Galarza. "Because what if we both was in there? What if you were the only help we had because you hit us? You know what I'm saying? I would say, 'You know bro, you gotta do the right thing.'"

Pfrommer said it's pretty typical to see people horseback riding in the area, as there are a number of farms nearby where people keep horses.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Franklin Twp. Police at (856) 694-1414 or crimetips@franklintownship.com.