Highland Park Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler said that the borough is in mourning following the Saturday afternoon crash.
UPDATE: A 21-year-old Piscataway man was charged with aggravated assault after his car fatally struck a 6-year-old boy Saturday afternoon, authorities announced Sunday.
HIGHLAND PARK -- One person remains hospitalized Sunday afternoon following a car crash that killed another person on Saturday.
Mayor Gayle Brill Mittler said in a text message that the borough is in mourning following the crash, which occurred at the corner of Raritan Avenue (Route 27) and Columbia Street and involved three pedestrians.
"The tragic accident yesterday has the entire community grieving," Mittler said Sunday. "My understanding is that the mother of the child underwent surgery."
She said the incident is under investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office, which has not yet returned requests for further information on the crash.
Highland Park police Capt. Scott Golden confirmed the crash killed one person, but declined to provide additional details, referring further inquiries to the prosecutor's office.
A resident in the area, Arthur, who wished to be identified by his first name only, said he had just returned home from taking his elderly mother to the salon at around 3:30 p.m. when he heard two loud bangs.
He said the crash involved a mother and her two young children, who were walking home from synagogue following services on the Sabbath.
The 60-year-old resident has lived on Route 27 his entire life and had frequently seen the woman walking home.
"It was bad, very bad," he said, referring to the scene after the crash. "It's a shame, really."
Arthur said four people occupied the car involved in the crash.
At the scene Sunday afternoon, yellow fire department tape was rapped around a broken concrete trashcan on the southbound side of Route 27. Pointing to the pieces of the can, Arthur said the trashcan normally sits on the northbound side but ricocheted across the highway following the crash.
NJ Advance Media's Vernal Coleman contributed to this report.
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.