RAHWAY, NJ — TAPinto Rahway recently reported that the New Jersey law firm Brach Eichler is working with the family of Rayan Bien-Aima, the 18-year-old Rahway High School student who was struck by a hit-and-run driver on Route 1 in Linden back in April and succumbed to his injuries in July. The driver and vehicle have yet to be identified, and Brach Eichler recently increased the reward from $10,000, originally offered by Union County Crime Stoppers, to $25,000.

We had the opportunity to speak with personal injury attorney and lead counsel for the Bien-Aima family, Edward Capozzi, about the investigation and the law firm's ongoing efforts to secure justice for Rayan and his family.

Capozzi told us that his initial involvement with the case began in May, when his law firm was contacted by Gunnery Sergeant John Sardine, of the Rahway High School Marine Corps Junior ROTC program. Bien-Aima was a cadet in the JROTC program at the time of the accident.

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Sardine told TAPinto Rahway that he first reached out to Brach Eichler, asking for its assistance in helping the family, after speaking with Rayan's father.

"He was telling me that he wasn't happy with the lawyers he had, that he felt like he was getting the runaround," Sardine said. "So I knew the law firm from a friend of mine and just reached out to them to see if there was anything they could do. I explained the situation to them, and they were very willing to help. As a matter of fact, I just spoke with the father recently, and he said he was very happy with the help they'd given him so far."

Since May, Capozzi said that "a team of 20 people under [him] have put in countless hours. It's all hands on deck."**BULLSEYE

He acknowledged that despite working plenty of accident cases, he has never had a case quite like this one, in which there simply is, at this point, no person yet identified from which to seek damages.

Capozzi believes it has been a good initial strategy to provide a financial incentive by the raising of the reward for information leading to the identification of the vehicle.

"We also filed OPRA [Open Public Records Act] requests to secure copies of the video of the vehicle," Capozzi said. "There were also pieces of the car left behind at the scene that can be examined to possibly identify the make and model of the car." It is possible, as well, that other cameras installed on Route 1 may have captured images of the vehicle, he added.**STANDARD

Capozzi also told us that the Linden Police Department has now closed the investigation, which he called "mind boggling." [TAPinto Rahway reached out to the Linden Police Department but has not heard back. We have not, as of this writing, been able to confirm independently that the investigation has in fact been closed.] He included, though, that he realizes the limited resources police departments face, which is one of the reasons he insists that Brach Eichler may be able to help.

"We made up a flyer and distributed it to hundreds of auto body shops in the area, hoping that one might have worked on the car or had some information," Capozzi said. (See attached flyer.)

He noted that, as a civil matter, even if the driver is found, the amount of money the law firm would likely secure for the family would be limited. His efforts, he suggested, were more about identifying the driver and "bringing justice to the family."**BULLSEYE

While it would be up to a prosecutor to pursue a case criminally and he could only speculate, Capozzi suggested that charges could include, among others, leaving the scene of a fatal accident, vehicular manslaughter, and failing to render aid.

For now, Capozzi hopes that someone out there who knows something may still come forward.

He said that keeping the accident and the pursuit of the driver in the public's mind and memory is key. "At this point, it's really about keeping it alive," he said.

For details about the accident and images of the vehicle, along with contact information in the event that anyone has knowledge of the accident, vehicle, or driver, please see the attached flyers and photographs.

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