Fatal New Bedford Hit-and-Run After Church Gathering

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — A 33-year-old New Bedford woman was struck and killed after leaving a church gathering just after midnight.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced that Nicolassa Ventura Colaj was struck and killed as she and her family were leaving a New Year’s Eve church gathering at 1805 Acushnet Avenue. That is the address of the Iglesia Pentecostal Unida Latinoamericana Church.

The D.A.’s Office said Colaj was crossing the roadway when she was struck by an SUV and “thrown a distance,” and that the SUV then fled the scene.

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New Bedford Police and EMS responded to the scene, and Colaj was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced deceased a short time later.

The crash remains under investigation by the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to the D.A.’s Office along with New Bedford Police.

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