Alberto Mendez of Manhattan suffered serious injuries to his head and legs after being struck in Leonia early Sunday
LEONIA - State police are asking for the public's help tracking down a vehicle that seriously injured a man on the New Jersey Turnpike early Sunday.
Troopers were called to the northbound lanes of the highway around mile marker 121 in Leonia around 5 a.m., where they found 25-year-old Alberto Mendez of Manhattan, N.Y. suffering from serious wounds to his head and legs.
Police determined that Mendez was attempting to cross the highway when he was struck, and the vehicle fled the scene.
He was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition as of Sunday afternoon.
Man killed trying to cross highway after crash, police say
The accident was the second involving a pedestrian attempting to cross a northern New Jersey highway in less than seven hours. Just before 11 p.m. Saturday, a yet to be identified man was killed while attempting to traverse an eastbound express lane of Interstate 78 in Newark.
Anyone with information on the accident involving Mendez is asked to contact State Police Newark Station at (732) 441-4500 ext. 1401.
Dan Ivers may be reached at divers@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @DanIversNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.