DHS Says Fugitive in Fatal New Jersey Hit‑and‑Run Is Previously Removed Ecuadorian Illegal Immigrant

The Department of Homeland Security has identified Wilson "Adrian" Morocho‑Necta, 33, as an Ecuadorian citizen in the U.S. illegally who allegedly struck and killed 68‑year‑old pedestrian Justo Pilco‑Tenesaca with a work truck in Morristown, New Jersey, on Friday and then fled the scene on foot. DHS told Fox News Digital that Morocho‑Necta first entered via the southern border in 2019, received a final removal order from an immigration judge, was removed to Mexico, and then illegally re‑entered the United States at an unknown place and time. Local prosecutors have charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and endangering an injured victim, but he remains at large and is now considered a fugitive as ICE agents try to locate him. The incident has renewed scrutiny of New Jersey’s 'Immigrant Trust Directive'—a sanctuary‑style policy that limits local police cooperation with federal immigration authorities—which DHS critics argue hampers efforts to detain repeat immigration violators. Online, the case is already being folded into broader partisan battles over sanctuary policies, employer vetting of workers, and whether state limits on ICE cooperation put the public at risk when serious traffic fatalities involve noncitizens who have previously been ordered removed.