Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the indictment of 61-year-old TIMOTHY C. MOOTS of Hasbrouck Heights, NJ on charges of hindering apprehension or prosecution and obstructing the administration of law. The indictment was the result of a months-long investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck and the Ridgefield Police Department under the direction of Chief Thomas Gallagher.
As previously reported, on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at approximately 7:37 p.m., the Ridgefield Police Department responded to a fatal motor-vehicle crash involving a motorized scooter at the intersection of Shaler Boulevard and Edgewater Avenue. A Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck operated by TIMOTHY C. MOOTS collided with an electric scooter operated by 15-year-old Serenity Law of Ridgefield, NJ, who died as a result of the collision.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit was notified and initiated a joint investigation. The investigation revealed that TIMOTHY C. MOOTS made misleading statements to law enforcement in an attempt to minimize his involvement and hinder and obstruct the investigation of the collision.
On September 10, 2024, a Bergen County Grand Jury indictment was unsealed, charging TIMOTHY C. MOOTS with third-degree hindering apprehension or prosecution, N.J.S.A 2C:29-3b(4); and fourth-degree obstructing the administration of law, N.J.S.A 2C:29-1a. An arraignment for MOOTS is pending in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, N.J.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations, and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. He would like to thank the Ridgefield Police Department and Bergen County Sheriff’s Office for their assistance in this investigation, along with the Ramsey and Ho-Ho-Kus Police Departments, which both participate in the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit Task Force.