MORRISTOWN—An Ecuadorian national who illegally re-entered the U.S. after a 2019 deportation remains at large, 18 days after allegedly killing a 68-year-old grandfather in a Morristown hit-and-run.
Wilson Adrian Morocho-Necta, 33, is the subject of an active ICE fugitive investigation. He is also charged by the State of New Jersey with the charge of second-degree Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death, according to Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll.
Justo Pilco-Tenesaca, 68, an Ecuadorian immigrant and local construction worker, was pronounced dead at the scene on March 20 after being struck at approximately 6:53 AM at Sussex Avenue and Speedwell Place. Authorities said Pilco-Tenesaca was pinned under a white pickup truck and dragged approximately 50 feet. According to the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, Morocho-Necta, who had been driving a truck belonging to someone else, allegedly fled on foot, leaving the vehicle behind.
Eric Couper, the truck's owner, told Fox News Digital that he had allowed Morocho-Necta to use the vehicle. Upon learning it had been involved in a fatal crash, Couper said he was "friggin' mortified."
"That's my truck and my company," Couper said. "I'm friggin' mortified."
DHS confirmed that Morocho-Necta entered the U.S. illegally in 2019, was deported to Mexico that same year, and subsequently re-entered at an unknown time and place. The chronology creates a six-year gap in enforcement visibility before the fatal collision.
The case is being investigated under New Jersey's Immigrant Trust Directive, which exempts criminal investigations from the limits it places on local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The Morris County Prosecutor's Office stated it will cooperate with DHS "consistent with applicable laws," and the state Attorney General has previously noted the directive "does not provide sanctuary to those who commit crimes."
The intersection of local sanctuary policies and federal fugitive investigations has become a recurring friction point in New Jersey, where municipal cooperation with ICE varies by jurisdiction.
Pilco-Tenesaca was described by family members as a grandfather and longtime construction worker in Morristown's Ecuadorian community. A GoFundMe campaign organized by Maria Dominguez has raised over $10,900 to return his remains to Ecuador for burial.
Morocho-Necta remains at-large. Authorities are offering a $1,000 reward through CrimeStoppers and have established a DHS tip line (866-DHS-2-ICE).
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Sources
· Department of Homeland Security, "DHS Calls on the Public to Report Sightings of Illegal Alien and Suspect of Hit-and-Run that Killed a 68-Year-Old in Morristown, New Jersey" (March 25, 2026)
· Morris County Prosecutor's Office, "Law Enforcement Seeks Public’s Help in Locating Alleged Driver in Morristown Fatal Crash" (March 20, 2026)
· John Connolly, NorthJersey.com, "Authorities seek driver in fatal Morristown hit-and-run" (March 21, 2026)
· Fox News Digital, "Suspect in fatal New Jersey hit-and-run crash is illegal alien, fugitive: DHS," (March 25, 2026)
· New Jersey Attorney General's Office, "Immigrant Trust Directive," (retrieved April 6, 2026)
· Cecilia Levine, Daily Voice, "Feds Plead For Tips After 'Illegal Alien' Fled Deadly Morristown Crash Scene: DHS" (March 21, 2026)
· Jay Edwards, WRNJ, "Authorities seek suspect in fatal Morristown hit-and-run, reward offered" (April 2, 2026)
· Kevin Coughlin, Morristown Green, "Morristown hit-and-run: Driver charged, still at large after fatal crosswalk crash" (March 21, 2026)