Police searching for hit-and-run driver after pedestrian struck, killed in New Jersey

Police are searching for the driver who struck and killed a pedestrian in New Jersey before leaving the scene.

Lyndhurst police responded to a 911 call around 9:50 p.m. on Thursday for a report of a car accident on Ridge Road near Milton Avenue.

Upon arrival, officers determined the car involved left the scene of the accident and the victim was pronounced dead.

The victim was identified Friday as 57-year-old George Arnold.

Friends are remembering Arnold as a nice guy and a low-key fixture around Rutherford -- which is where he grew up. He lived and hung out in Lyndhurst.

"He worked at Steve's Sizzling Steaks so whenever I went there he would hook me up with a extra little French fries and stuff, he was just a sweetheart," said friend Michele Siano.

A witness who asked not to be identified happened to be driving by and jumped out of his car. He said he held Arnold's hand as he took his last breath.

''I just told him that...help was on the way and that he was gonna be alright and that he wasn't alone," the witness said.

Ring camera footage obtained from a nearby business shows the police response, and one person described to Eyewitness News what they saw as officers arrived on scene.

The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and the Lyndhurst Police Department are both investigating the hit-and-run.

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