14-year-old Bryan Barbosa killed in South River hit-and-run; driver Michael Arena arrested
SOUTH RIVER, N.J. -- A 14-year-old was killed in a hit-and-run in South River on Friday, and a driver is now facing charges.
As David Gudzak stood outside his home, he says he will never forget what he saw.
"A lifeless body in the middle of that road," he said.
The horrific scene was caught on his camera on Whitehead Avenue. A 14-year-old on his bicycle was hit by a white van Friday afternoon. The driver kept going.
Gudzak, a father of two teens himself, gets the chills talking about it.
"The kid slid down off the front of the van and was laying on the ground. And I saw the kid on both his forearms looking at the van," Gudzak said.
The teenager's friends identified the victim as Bryan Barbosa.
"He was one of my best friends. He was playing a lot sports. He had a really bright future," friend Chris Crinigan said.
Chris says Bryan was on his way over to his house to hang out moments before the crash.
"I was calling him and calling him and calling him and he didn't answer," friend Julian Guindi said.
Watch Naveen Dhaliwal's report
Julian and Chris paid their respects Saturday where Bryan took his last breaths. There is a growing memorial at the scene with balloons, candles and flowers left by loved ones still trying to come to terms with his death.
For a small town like South River, word traveled fast. By the end of Friday, police say Gudzak's surveillance was key in helping officers arrest 63-year-old Michael Arena, also from South River.
"Thankfully, people become involved. They were able to identify a suspect. They went, talked to him, and now they have arrested and charged him," South River Mayor John Krenzel said.
"Everyone is affected by this," Chris said.
There's so much heartbreak for those who knew him, and even for those who didn't.
"Every time we come outside, like, I like to water the plants, and now this going to be known as the spot where a 14-year-old child lost his life," Gudzak said.
Gudzak was among the friends, classmates and even total strangers who gathered Saturday evening to support Bryan's parents.
"You just can't get it out of your head," Gudzak said.
"It's just devastating. You can tell that the children are really affected by it, and South River's a small town where everyone's kid is everyone's kid," family friend Arianna Hill said. "My condolences to his parents ... That's their only child. He's been taken from them senselessly. The town, we're not doing well. Children are learning how to grieve."
They gathered together for a candlelight vigil at South River High School, where Bryan would have been a freshman and on the basketball team this fall.
"We're angry that somebody could do this, but to a child," South River resident Sandra da Silva said. "I met his parents today for the first time ... They're a mess."
Officials say Arena is facing several charges, including aggravated manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle crash.
