David Chang

Police Make Arrest in Barnegat Hit-Run That Killed Woman on Phone with Husband

A tipster helped police to track down the person they say struck and killed a woman at the Jersey Shore on Monday morning, then left the scene of the crash.

Police on Tuesday said that 27-year-old Cassie Hansen, of Barnegat, is facing charges in the crash, which killed 61-year-old Marie Thorne, who also lived in Barnegat, Monday morning as she walked her dog on Ridgeway Street near Bayview Boulevard about 7:50 Monday morning.

It didn't take long for police to find the alleged hit-run driver: Police said a person who saw news reports about the hit-run on Monday called in a tip to police about 4 p.m. Monday saying a vehicle that seemed to match the description was traveling on Route 9. Police flooded the area, and eventually found the truck, a tan Chevrolet Silverado with front passenger side damage, in the driveway of a home on Center Street.

Police said Hansen was at the house, and police arrested her in the hit-run there.

Thorne was on the phone with her husband at the time that the truck, allegedly driven by Hansen, fatally struck her Monday. Her husband heard the whole tragic incident unfold and frantically searched for his wife after he couldn't reach her again.

“He heard a loud sound like a thud and then the line essentially went dead,” said Barnegat Township Police Lieutenant Keith German. “Her husband tried calling back but wasn’t sure what had happened. He came out looking for her.”

A public works employee later found the woman lying on the road. She was taken to the Southern Ocean Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

“It’s just terrible,” said Fran Carney, who lives near the scene of the deadly crash. “Somebody must have been texting or on the phone or something because how could you miss someone just walking there?”

Hansen is being held in Ocean County Jail on $150,000 bail.

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