Arrest In 5-Month Search After 2 Struck In Belmar Hit-And-Run

BELMAR – A New Jersey man has been arrested after a five-month search following a hit-and-run crash that left two people seriously hurt. One of the victims, who had been a star athlete in high school, had her lower body "crushed," family and friends say.

Michael J. Spivak, 30, of Belmar was arrested after police searched throughout New Jersey for the driver who struck two pedestrians June 1, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced on Friday.

Spivak, driving a silver Cadillac Escalade, fled the scene at 1:28 a.m., prosecutors say. Belmar police officers initially responded and investigated the crash on E Street in the area of 15th Avenue, prosecutors said.

Carly Friedman, a soccer and basketball star at Westfield High School before attending and graduating from Rutgers University, was run over by the car, family and friends say.

The car backed up and ran over her again, according to friends who are raising money for her recovery.

"We are asking Carly's friends and family for support as she gets back on her feet," according to her GoFundMe page, which was set up by Kathleen Bond. More than $67,000 was raised by late Friday. She has since returned home, where she has been recovering.

Spivak was arrested by the Belmar Police Department and charged with one count of second-degree aggravated assault, two counts of third-degree endangering an injured victim, two counts of third-degree aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of fourth-degree assault by auto.

On June 1, police arrived on the scene and found a woman and man with injuries sustained by the vehicle, police said. Both victims were transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, police said.

The Belmar Police Department and the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office Serious Collision Analysis Response Team responded, and they are assisting with the ongoing investigation.

The police ask that anyone with information regarding the incident or information on the vehicle to contact the Belmar Police Department at 732-681-1700.

Carly graduated from Westfield High School in 2014 after scoring more than 200 points and getting nearly 100 steals over her basketball career, according to nj.com.

The GoFundMe funds, meanwhile, will be used to cover any medical, lodging or extraneous expenses that may be incurred in her rehabilitation "and to recuperate Carly's share in summer activities she had planned prior to the accident," according to the page.

"We hope this page will inspire Carly's many communities to donate, but also – because we know it will mean more to Carly – we hope this page inspires you to think of the moments when Carly made you laugh, when she did something exceedingly thoughtful, and when she was a true friend," the page said.