Hit and run accidents in the Brookdale parking lot have become an issue for students and staff on the Lincroft campus.

Many Brookdale students are young drivers with not a lot of driving experience, but accidents can happen anywhere and to drivers of all ages. The important thing everyone on campus should learn is what to do if they witness an accident or have been involved in one.

“Calling 911 if there is an emergency that involves someone getting injured is a good step to take. But if the accident involved minor damage to another parked vehicle, they should call 732-224-2222,” said Brookdale Police Chief Robert Kilmer.

A hit and run involving a pedestrian getting struck occurred in Parking Lot Five during the fall semester on Nov. 7. The vehicle did not stop after hitting and injuring the person. This case remains unsolved.

The campus rarely sees hit and runs that involve people but vehicle versus vehicle happens several times a year, and the campus encourages anyone in that type of situation to report it. Mistakes happen every day but reporting it will make it easier since most people have insurance.  Also, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash is a crime.

Students who park in lot five were caught by surprise when learning about the November incident, and some were left feeling unsafe.

“I was shocked and a bit scared to hear about this since I use that parking lot all the time,” said Ava Quigley, an 18-year-old liberal arts major from Marlboro. “I’m not sure if they have security cameras installed, but I hope this won’t happen again since the person got injured. As a Brookdale student, I put my trust in the security to keep me safe.”

Kimler said Brookdale police work hard to keep the campus safe and have many methods that some students may not notice around campus.

“One of the best things we do is provide officer visibility, to deter crime or unwanted behaviors,” Kimler said. “We also try and routinely interact with the community, so they are comfortable speaking with us and reporting concerns. We continually provide our officers with a wide variety of specialized training, and we assess areas and conditions to ensure that we are always improving upon our safety levels.”

The police are located on campus on Alumni Drive (parallel to Newman Springs Road) if anyone ever needs to find them and they are staffed 24/7, 365 days a year.

“There currently are no cameras in the Brookdale Lincroft parking lots. There are a handful of views from building cameras that may capture something that occurs in the lots,” Kimler said.

Kimler said witnesses may feel apprehensive about reporting accidents, but they should feel safe in reporting whatever they see.

Acting fast and attending the educational speeches and information in the SLC on self-protection is another good way to keep safe on campus and stay informed, Kimler said.