Lisa Pollitt, 36, has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault and obstruction in connection with the Thursday, Feb. 10 crash in Cranbury, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said.
Pollitt was identified by her editor, Charlie Kratovil, as a reporter for "New Brunswick Today."
"It's a tragedy," Kratovil told Daily Voice. "Our hearts go out to the victims and their families."
Pollitt was heading south on Route 130 in Cranbury on Feb. 10, when she veered into the northbound lane around 4:10 p.m., hitting an oncoming vehicle head-on, Ciccone said.
Both women in the impacted vehicle suffered serious bodily injuries and were transported to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital. The passenger, Ann “Nancy” Stewart, 95, of Monroe, was in critical condition until Feb. 12, when she died as a result of her injuries sustained in the crash, police said.
Pollitt was initially arrested and charged with separate counts of aggravated assault and obstruction in the crash, but was charged with murder after Stewart died.
The incident appears to be a random act as Pollitt and the victims did not know each other, authorities said. Pollitt remains in custody pending a pre-trial detention hearing in Superior Court.
Stewart was an English teacher and, at 89 years old, fulfilled her lifelong dream of riding in a blimp.
The investigation is active and continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Lindenfeld of the Cranbury Police Department at (609)664-3244 or Detective Berman of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-4328.
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