Benefit set for Gloucester City hit-run victim; driver had no insurance : An alleged hit-and-run motorist was driving without insurance when she critically injured a woman in Gloucester City earlier this month, authorities say.
And that lack of financial protection has added to the burden for the family of the victim, 21-year-old Angela Gattuso of East Greenwich. A benefit on Saturday will raise funds for Gattuso, who remains in Cooper University Hospital with severe injuries from the March 11 incident.
"Angela is doing better, but she's not out of the woods by any stretch," said Anthony Cooksey of Westville, a family friend who is helping to organize the event. The $25-per-person fundraiser will be held Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Old Swedes Inn, 1301 Kings Highway, Swedesboro.
"A lot of these expenses are going to fall back on the Gattusos, so the public's help is important," he noted.
"The bills are probably over $1 million already," said Rosalie Gattuso, the victim's grandmother.
Angela Gattuso was run down shortly before 1 a.m. as she stood near her disabled car on South Broadway in Gloucester City. The victim's father, Louis Gattuso, was putting her car on a tow truck when the accident occurred.
Authorities allege an Audubon woman, 41-year-old Deborah Cirulli, fled from the scene after hitting the victim with her SUV. Cirulli abandoned her vehicle in Wilmington, then returned to South Jersey and surrendered to Audubon police on March 13, according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.
She is accused of aggravated assault with an auto, leaving the scene of a serious motor vehicle crash and hindering apprehension. Cirulli, of the 500 block of Mansion Avenue, also is charged with driving without insurance, said Gloucester City Police Detective Mike Barney.
The initial response to the benefit has been strong, said Cooksey, who noted the Gattusos have long run an auto-repair shop in the Clarksboro section of East Greenwich. "Clarksboro is a very tight-knit community," he observed.
The public's support has been "wonderful," said Rosalie Gattuso. "Everybody's praying at all the churches. We need it."
Donations in Angela Gattuso's name are also being accepted at The Bank, 653 W. Broad St., Paulsboro, said Cooksey. For more information, contact AnthonyCooksey@gmail.com.
