Englewood, NJ – Police Still Seeking Info In Orthodox Jewish Doctor’s Hit-Run Death

Englewood, NJ – The police are asking residents for help finding the driver of a vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident on Christmas Eve.

Chief Arthur O’Keefe said that an Englewood resident, Paul Kudowitz, was crossing Broad Street around 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 24 when a vehicle described as a light colored SUV or station wagon struck him while traveling south on Broad Avenue.

Kudowitz was leaving the house of his daughter and son -in laws. Witnesses said Kudowitz was crossing in the middle of the block, moving toward his residence on Allison Street when he was hit. He was brought to the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

“We’re all just shocked to hear this happened,” said Jonathan Kolatch, co-president of Congregation Ahavath Torah, where Kudowitz was a member for over 20 years.

“It was a terrible tragedy,” said Rabbi Menachem Genack. “Paul Kudowitz was a very important person in our community. He was very much beloved.”

At the funeral service at Ahavath Torah on Sunday, the rabbi said, everyone who spoke emphasized how Kudowitz’s family was central to his life.

“We all mourn his passing,” added Kilatch, who described Kudowitz, who was an anesthesiologist, as a devoted family man.

Over 600 people attended the funeral service, Kolatch said.

“He had a lot of friends in the community,” he said, adding that Kudowitz was a very generous member of the congregation, having contributed a Torah, which can take a year or more to write, to the congregation several years ago.

O’Keefe said the driver of the vehicle must have known it struck Kudowitz.

There was significant debris left in the roadway, he said, indicating damage to the front end with a damaged front light and turn signal.

Witnesses said Kudowitz was carried by the car, so there may be hood or windshield damage as well. O’Keefe said one witness even yelled at the driver to stop.

The fatal accident unit of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office is investigating. The chief said anyone with information about the vehicle or the accident should call the police department at 201-568-2700.