Tag:

Death by Auto

DUI Carlstadt Driver Kills Motorcyclist, Prosecutor Says DUI Carlstadt Driver Kills Motorcyclist, Prosecutor Says
DUI Carlstadt Driver Kills Motorcyclist, Prosecutor Says A 32-year-old Bergen County man has been charged in a deadly crash that happened Friday, Sept. 20 in Passaic County, authorities said. Johnny Aguilar, of Carlstadt, was operating a Ford Excursion when he struck a 59-year-old motorcyclist at the intersection of Paulison Avenue and Pennington Avenue, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Passaic Chief of Police Luis Guzman said. Arriving officers found the victim, Carlos Ocasio-Rodriguez, in the middle of the intersection, Valdes and Guzman said. Ocasio-Rodriguez was pronounced dead at Saint Mary’s Hospital. …
'Best Years Of My Life:' Johnny Gaudreau's Wife Speaks Out After Deadly Wreck 'Best Years Of My Life:' Johnny Gaudreau's Wife Speaks Out After Deadly Wreck
'Best Years Of My Life:' Johnny Gaudreau's Wife Speaks Out After Deadly Wreck Johnny Gaudreau's wife, Meredith, posted a moving tribute to her late NHL player husband following the South Jersey DUI crash that killed him and his brother, Matthew, this week. "Thank you for the best years of my life," Meredith said in an Instagram post.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Meredith Gaudreau (@meredithgaudreau_) Meredith graduated from JMU in Virginia and then earned her master's in pediatric nursing from Drexel University, her LinkedIn page shows. She works as a NIICU nurse at CHOP. "Despite losing you…
Pair Killed In Horrific DWI Rollover Crash In Teaneck ID'd, Charged Driver Remains Hospitalized Pair Killed In Horrific DWI Rollover Crash In Teaneck ID'd, Charged Driver Remains Hospitalized
Pair Killed In Horrific DWI Rollover Crash In Teaneck ID'd, Charged Driver Remains Hospitalized UPDATE: Authorities have upgraded charges against a Teaneck restaurant manager who they said was drunk when he slammed his speeding car into a tree, killing two of his passengers. Teddy Mejia, 32, originally was charged with death by auto following the horrific Oct. 21 crash that killed Rudy Rosales Escobar, 40, of Hasbrouck Heights, and Alexander Cosme Curruchich, 29, of Englewood. Investigators have since determined that Mejia was not only intoxicated but also speeding down Teaneck Road when his 2021 BMW M850i hit the tree – shearing off an entire limb – and rolled onto its roof near…
Driver Was Going 100MPH+ Before Triple Fatal Jersey City Crash: Prosecutor Driver Was Going 100MPH+ Before Triple Fatal Jersey City Crash: Prosecutor
Driver Was Going 100MPH+ Before Triple Fatal Jersey City Crash: Prosecutor A 23-year-old driver was going more than 100 mph in a crash that left three people dead earlier this week in Jersey City, authorities said. Ziyang Wang, of Jersey City, was behind the wheel of a BMW X5 M0i that struck a Kia Amanti driven by 26-year-old Dylan Weidenfeld head-on, on Paterson Plank Road around 12:45 a.m. Monday, Oct. 16. Weidenfeld and two of Wang's passengers, whose names were not released, both died. A third passenger of Wang's remains in critical condition, while a front-seat passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Suarez said.  Wang, who was going more than 100…
Reckless Manslaughter Among New Charges For Driver In Fatal Route 1&9 Wreck Reckless Manslaughter Among New Charges For Driver In Fatal Route 1&9 Wreck
Reckless Manslaughter Among New Charges For Driver In Fatal Route 1&9 Wreck Additional charges have been filed against a New Jersey driver involved in a fatal wreck, authorities said. Gabriel Melo, a 22-year-old Newark resident, was behind the wheel of a car when it crashed and killed 21-year-old Daniella Rosario, of Bloomfield, last month, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced on Thursday, Oct. 5. Melo was originally charged with death by auto, but is now facing charges of aggravated manslaughter, reckless manslaughter and assault by auto, the prosecutor announced. Melo was operating a 2018 Audi that collided with a tractor trailer on the Rou…
DWI Wife Fatally Ran Over Husband With Car In Somerset County: Prosecutor DWI Wife Fatally Ran Over Husband With Car In Somerset County: Prosecutor
DWI Wife Fatally Ran Over Husband With Car In Somerset County: Prosecutor A Somerset County woman was DWI when fatally ran her husband over with a car in February 2023, authorities said. Amanda O'Keefe, 37, had a blood alcohol level over the legal limit when she ran over her husband, Robert O'Keefe, 41, in Hillsborough on Saturday, Feb. 25, Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald said. Robert was pronounced dead outside of his Clark Lane home around 2:30 a.m., McDonald said. O'Keefe surrendered to authorities on Wednesday, March, 29, on charges of second-degree death by auto. She was lodged in the Somerset County Jail and released on Thur…
NJ Police Officer Was Drunk In Deadly Warren County Crash: Prosecutor NJ Police Officer Was Drunk In Deadly Warren County Crash: Prosecutor
NJ Police Officer Was Drunk In Deadly Warren County Crash: Prosecutor A 46-year-old police officer in New Jersey was arrested for driving drunk in a deadly crash earlier this year in Washington Township (Warren County), authorities said. Lawrence Stiscia, a patrol officer with the Franklin Township Police Department in Somerset County, had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.201 percent when he fatally struck a motorcyclist on March 18 on northbound Route 31, according to the Warren County Prosecutor's Office.  The federal limit for driving legally is 0.08 percent blood alcohol content. An investigation determined that Stiscia ran into the back of the mo…
Charges Filed In Auto Death Of Beloved Clifton Icon Charges Filed In Auto Death Of Beloved Clifton Icon
Charges Filed In Auto Death Of Beloved Clifton Icon Grieving loved ones prepared to bury a beloved Clifton icon as authorities announced that charges had been filed against the driver who struck and killed 81-year-old "marathon man" Marinus Lalumia. The driver, Ibrahim Jadallah, 21, remained held in the Passaic County Jail pending a first appearance Thursday in Central Judicial Processing Court in Paterson, authorities announced.  He's charged with death by auto, otherwise known as vehicular manslaughter, they said. Jadallah was behind the wheel of a speeding 2017 Honda HR-V that struck Lalumia as he crossed Hazel Street, a few doors down …
Wayne Mechanic, 23, Indicted In Crash Death Of Paterson Motorist Wayne Mechanic, 23, Indicted In Crash Death Of Paterson Motorist
Wayne Mechanic, 23, Indicted In Crash Death Of Paterson Motorist A 23-year-old mechanic from Wayne was indicted on death by auto and vehicular homicide charges for a crash last summer that killed a Paterson man, authorities announced. Asante Cugliari was drunk and under the influence of pot when he sped through a stop sign and his Hyundai Genesis T-boned a Dodge Charger near the 10th Avenue circle at Route 20 shortly before 10 p.m. Aug. 9, the indictment returned in Paterson alleges. The Charger driver, Gustavo Marte, 58, was killed instantly, it says. Surveillance footage showed Cugliari racing down East 26th Street before his sedan slammed into the Ch…
Sussex Dump Truck Driver Indicted For Route 3 Crash That Killed Girl, 1, Injured Mom Sussex Dump Truck Driver Indicted For Route 3 Crash That Killed Girl, 1, Injured Mom
Sussex Dump Truck Driver Indicted For Route 3 Crash That Killed Girl, 1, Injured Mom UPDATE: A dump truck driver who caused a crash that killed a 1-year-old girl and seriously injured her mother on Route 3 in Clifton last summer was indicted on aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide charges. The indictment returned by a grand jury in Paterson also charges Chad Hines, 41, of Wantage with two counts of death by auto, Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes said. Hines remained jailed pending an arraignment on the indictment, Valdes said Monday. Jamie Yarrish, 25, of Clifton had her infant daughter, Jaelynn, with her when a 2005 Mack Conventional Cab dump truck driv…
Prosecutor Details How Driver Caused Deadly Parkway Crash Then Tried To Cover It Up Prosecutor Details How Driver Caused Deadly Parkway Crash Then Tried To Cover It Up
Prosecutor Details How Driver Caused Deadly Parkway Crash Then Tried To Cover It Up A 43-year-old Newark man has been charged with causing a deadly crash earlier this week on the Garden State Parkway then trying to cover up his role in it, authorities said. Ronaldo Godwin was heading southbound behind the wheel of a Range Rover when he struck a Lexus SUV driven by Christopher Meikle, of East Orange, at a high rate of speed around 2:45 a.m. Feb. 15,  members of the Union County Prosecutors Office said. Responding New Jersey State troopers found 46-year-old Meikle's SUV engulfed in flames near the highway's center median shortly before 2:45 a.m. near mile marker 136 in …
DWI Union City Driver Gets 9 Years For Head-On Crash That Killed HUMC Nurse DWI Union City Driver Gets 9 Years For Head-On Crash That Killed HUMC Nurse
DWI Union City Driver Gets 9 Years For Head-On Crash That Killed Humc Nurse A Union City driver was sentenced to a plea-bargained nine years in state prison for a DWI crash that killed a popular Hackensack University Medical Center nurse in Jersey City last year, authorities said Thursday. Jonathan Ortiz-Guananga, 27, previously struck a deal with prosecutors, pleading guilty to death by auto and assault by auto rather than go to trial for the early-morning May 5, 2019 crash on Paterson Plank Road that killed Adriana Riano of North Bergen. He was sentenced Thursday by Superior Court Judge Judge Patrick J. Arre to eight years in New Jersey state prison for one char…
Wayne Driver, 22, Charged With Vehicular Homicide In Death Of Paterson Motorist Wayne Driver, 22, Charged With Vehicular Homicide In Death Of Paterson Motorist
Wayne Driver, 22, Charged With Vehicular Homicide In Death Of Paterson Motorist A 22-year-old Wayne man was arrested this week and charged with death by auto for a summer crash that killed a Paterson man. Why Asante Cugliari was charged in the Aug. 9 death of Gustavo Marte, 58, wasn’t explained in a brief statement released by Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes Paterson Police Chief Ibrahim Baycora following a court appearance Thursday in Paterson. Their statement only said that Cugliari was arrested Wednesday and charged with death by auto and vehicular homicide “based on the results of [an] investigation” by the prosecutor’s office and city police. Respond…
Driver Admits Guilt In Drugged Crash That Killed North Bergen Woman, 20 Driver Admits Guilt In Drugged Crash That Killed North Bergen Woman, 20
Driver Admits Guilt In Drugged Crash That Killed North Bergen Woman, 20 A North Bergen man admitted that he had THC in his system when he ran a red light in West New York and crashed his car into another, killing a 20-year-old passenger. Fernando Batista, 25, pleaded guilty to death by auto in exchange for what will be a five-year prison sentence during a virtual hearing Monday attended by family members of the victim, Alysa Matos, also of North Bergen, authorities said. Batista was driving a 2002 Acura TL west on 60th Street when he blew the light at Jefferson Street shortly after 12:30 a.m. on June 18, 2019, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said. The …
North Bergen Man Charged In Car Crash That Killed Woman, 20 North Bergen Man Charged In Car Crash That Killed Woman, 20
North Bergen Man Charged In Car Crash That Killed Woman, 20 A North Bergen man who was involved in a June motor-vehicle crash that left a woman dead has been charged with death by auto and other offenses, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office said Wednesday.  Fernando Batista, 24, was arrested Oct. 21 and was also charged with assault by auto and possession of marijuana. He was being held at the Hudson County jail.  Around 12:30 a.m. June 18,  Batista was driving a 2002 Acura north on Jefferson Street in West New York when the car collided with a 2004 Infiniti traveling west on 60th Street, according to West New York police and the co…
New Milford Driver Charged In Fatal North Bergen Crash New Milford Driver Charged In Fatal North Bergen Crash
New Milford Driver Charged In Fatal North Bergen Crash A 34-year-old Bergen County woman has been charged with death by auto in connection with a fatal crash early Sunday in North Bergen; the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office said.  Denisse Ortega of New Milford was driving a Nissan Pathfinder north on John F. Kennedy Boulevard around 4 a.m. when the vehicle collided with a 2012 Nissan Altima at 76th Street, authorities said.  A North Bergen police officer witnessed the crash and assisted at the scene. Another police officer who responded was injured while at the scene and was taken to Palisades Medical Center for treatment.  Th…
Man Who Skipped Sentencing In Fatal N. Bergen Hit-Run Captured Man Who Skipped Sentencing In Fatal N. Bergen Hit-Run Captured
Man Who Skipped Sentencing In Fatal N. Bergen Hit-Run Captured The former Hudson County corrections officer who failed to appear for his sentencing Friday on two counts of death by auto has been arrested, a law-enforcement source told Daily Voice Monday.  Michael Hansen, 40, was expected to receive a sentence of 20 years after pleading guilty in June. Instead, the proceeding was delayed when Hansen, who had been allowed to remain free, did not show up. A warrant was immediately issued for his arrest.  Hansen, of North Bergen, had consumed as many as 18 alcoholic drinks before getting behind the wheel April 2, 2017, authorities said. He struck…
Fanwood Motorist Was On Drugs When He Killed 94-Year-Old In Union Crash: Pros. Fanwood Motorist Was On Drugs When He Killed 94-Year-Old In Union Crash: Pros.
Fanwood Motorist Was On Drugs When He Killed 94-Year-Old In Union Crash: Pros. A 52-year-old Fanwood man has been charged with death by auto while under the influence and assault by auto while under the influence in an incident that left an elderly woman dead and two others hurt, the Union County Prosecutor's Office said.  Authorities said Thomas DiNapoli was driving east on Morris Avenue in Union on the afternoon of June 4 when he crossed the double-yellow line and struck a Chevy Impala head-on.  The three occupants of the car were taken to Trinitas Regional Medical Center for treatment of their injuries. Michelina Mele, 94, was pronounced dead the next day…
UPDATE: Man Who Skipped Sentencing In Fatal N. Bergen Hit-Run Arrested UPDATE: Man Who Skipped Sentencing In Fatal N. Bergen Hit-Run Arrested
Update: Man Who Skipped Sentencing In Fatal N. Bergen Hit-Run Arrested UPDATE, Aug. 5: Michael Hansen was arrested. For more, click here.  Original story is below:  A former Hudson County corrections officer who pleaded guilty to two counts of death by auto in June failed to appear for his sentencing hearing in Jersey City Friday morning, NJ.com reported.  Michael Hansen, 40, was under the influence of alcohol when he entered the intersection of Paterson Plank Road and Kennedy Boulevard in North Bergen April 2, 2017. He struck Marie Tauro and Russell Maffei and fled.  Hansen was arrested the following day at the North Bergen home of …
Union City Man Charged In Crash That Killed HUMC Nurse From North Bergen Union City Man Charged In Crash That Killed HUMC Nurse From North Bergen
Union City Man Charged In Crash That Killed Humc Nurse From North Bergen A Union City man was arrested last month on charges he was drunk when his car slammed into another vehicle, killing a 32-year-old nurse at Hackensack University Medical Center, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office said Monday.  Jonathan Ortiz-Guananga, 26, was arrested June 27 and charged with death by auto, assault by auto, speeding, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and failure to maintain lane.  Ortiz-Guananga was driving a Dodge Charger near Paterson Plank Road and Congress Street in Jersey City early on May 5 when he collided with a Ford Edge.  Adriana Riano,…
Ex-Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty To N. Bergen Hit-Run That Left Two Dead Ex-Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty To N. Bergen Hit-Run That Left Two Dead
Ex-Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty To N. Bergen Hit-Run That Left Two Dead A former Hudson County Corrections officer pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of death by auto for killing two people as they were crossing a North Bergen street two years ago, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday.  Michael Hansen, 40, was under the influence of alcohol April 2, 2017, when he entered the intersection of Paterson Plank Road and Kennedy Boulevard. He hit Marie Tauro and Russell Maffei before leaving the scene. He was arrested the next day.  Under the terms of his plea Hansen faces 10 years in prison for each victim, to be served consecutively for a to…
Teen Driver Behind Wheel In Crash That Killed Newton's Alexis Faye Faces Multiple Charges Teen Driver Behind Wheel In Crash That Killed Newton's Alexis Faye Faces Multiple Charges
Teen Driver Behind Wheel In Crash That Killed Newton's Alexis Faye Faces Multiple Charges A teen driver has been charged in connection with a Fredon crash that killed a 17-year-old female passenger, NJ.com reports. The teen, whose name was not released, was charged with aggravated manslaughter, death by auto and violating a law intended to protect public health and safety following the May 11 crash, NJSP told the media outlet. The teen was also issued summonses for: speeding reckless driving failure to maintain a lane failure to keep right violating provisions of his state-issued, graduated driving license (2) Newton's Alexis Faye, 17, died as a result of the crash. Two other …
Authorities: Mechanic Tried Patching Jeep's Damage After Hit-Run Crash Killed Teacher Authorities: Mechanic Tried Patching Jeep's Damage After Hit-Run Crash Killed Teacher
Authorities: Mechanic Tried Patching Jeep's Damage After Hit-Run Crash Killed Teacher A 39-year-old mechanic from Linden struck a schoolteacher with his Jeep, killing her, and then drove to his auto body shop to patch up the damage, said authorities who tracked down and arrested him. Ibn Collins had been out drinking when his speeding Jeep Grand Cherokee struck 35-year-old Meghan Crilly of Fanwood at the intersection of North Wood and St. George avenues just before 2 a.m. Jan. 20, authorities said. Collins didn't slow down or stop, Union County Prosecutor Michael A. Monahan and Linden Police Chief David Hart said in a joint release Wednesday. Instead, they said, he drove st…
Hearing Set For Driver In Gas Station Crash That Killed Dad, Teenage Son, Attendant Hearing Set For Driver In Gas Station Crash That Killed Dad, Teenage Son, Attendant
Hearing Set For Driver In Gas Station Crash That Killed Dad, Teenage Son, Attendant UPDATE: A detention hearing was scheduled this Monday for a Susssex County man who authorities said overdosed on heroin before his SUV went airborne, smashing into a killing a father and son and an attendant at a gas station on Route 23 in Wayne early Tuesday. Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes said her staff will ask Superior Court Judge Ernest M. Caposela during a 10 a.m. hearing in Central Judicial Processing Court in Paterson to order 29-year-old Jason Vanderee held in the Passaic County Jail pending trial. Vanderee, of the Glenwood section of Vernon Township, was charged with th…
UPDATE: Drugged Driver In Route 23 Gas Station Crash Kills Dad, Teenage Son, Attendant UPDATE: Drugged Driver In Route 23 Gas Station Crash Kills Dad, Teenage Son, Attendant
Update: Drugged Driver In Route 23 Gas Station Crash Kills Dad, Teenage Son, Attendant UPDATE: Authorities late Tuesday identified the drugged driver in a morning crash that killed a father and son and a gas station attendant as a 29-year-old Sussex County resident. Jason Vanderee, of the Glenwood section of Vernon Township, was charged with three counts each of aggravated manslaughter and death by auto, among other offenses. A detention hearing was scheduled this Monday. SEE: https://dailyvoice.com/new-jersey/southpassaic/police-fire/hearing-set-for-driver-charged-in-gas-station-crash-that-killed-dad-teenage-son-attendant/748562/ Jon Warbeck, a former Carlstadt firefighte…
Judge Orders Driver Held In Fatal Paterson Pedestrian Crash Judge Orders Driver Held In Fatal Paterson Pedestrian Crash
Judge Orders Driver Held In Fatal Paterson Pedestrian Crash A judge ordered that a driver from Florida accused in a multi-vehicle crash that killed a pedestrian in Paterson last week remain held in the Passaic County Jail. A Buick Encore driven Alvin W. Mootoo, 46, blew a stop sign at the corner of 18th Avenue and East 24th Street and struck a silver 2008 Accord just after 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said. The impact sent the sedan into another Honda Accord, where 31-year-old Jorge Alberto Pena Mesa of Newark was standing, talking to the driver, Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Paterson Police Chief Troy Oswald said in a joint release. Mesa, w…
Long Road Ahead For Paramus Bus Crash Victim With Head Trauma Long Road Ahead For Paramus Bus Crash Victim With Head Trauma
Long Road Ahead For Paramus Bus Crash Victim With Head Trauma The road to recovery for a Paramus middle school boy who remained in critical condition after a horrific Route 80 school bus crash "will be very long and difficult," according to a LaunchGood campaign aimed at helping his family "in this month difficult time of need." Asher Majeed suffered severe head trauma and facial cuts in the accident that killed a 10-year-old girl and teacher while sending 43 other passengers -- nearly all children -- to the hospital. "This horrifying event has left our community completely devastated and heartbroken," says the campaign p…
Family Of Girl Killed In Paramus School Bus Crash To Sue District Family Of Girl Killed In Paramus School Bus Crash To Sue District
Family Of Girl Killed In Paramus School Bus Crash To Sue District The family of the middle schooler killed in last week's Route 80 bus crash has filed a complaint against Paramus and its board of education, the New York Post reports. The complaint from 10-year-old Miranda Vargas' family was filed after it came to light that driver Hudy Muldrow Sr., 77, had his license suspended 14 times, the article says. “Having learned the last few days of the driving record that Mr. Muldrow has and that the Paramus Board of Education had him driving children has caused them to be even more distraught,” the family's attorney, David Fried, said Friday outside of the Morr…
Dumont Driver Gets 5 Years In MetLife Death Of Cliffside Park Record King Dumont Driver Gets 5 Years In MetLife Death Of Cliffside Park Record King
Dumont Driver Gets 5 Years In MetLife Death Of Cliffside Park Record King A former employee of an Englewood luxury sports car company whose car struck and killed popular Cliffside Park record store owner Steve Lenge as he rode his motorcycle outside MetLife Stadium on Mother’s Day 2012 was sentenced to five years in prison on Friday. Joseph A. Ferretti, 34, of Dumont must serve four years and three months of his sentence before being eligible for parole, under the sentenced handed down by Presiding Superior Court Judge Margaret Foti in Hackensack. Ferretti and Joseph Meyer of Oviedo, Fla., originally were charged with death by auto, a second-degree crime that ha…
Dumont Driver Convicted In MetLife Death Of Cliffside Park Record King Dumont Driver Convicted In MetLife Death Of Cliffside Park Record King
Dumont Driver Convicted In MetLife Death Of Cliffside Park Record King HACKENSACK, N.J. -- Jurors in Hackensack convicted a former employee of an Englewood luxury sports car company of vehicular homicide for striking and killing popular Cliffside Park record store owner Steve Lenge (photo above) as he rode his motorcycle outside MetLife Stadium on Mother’s Day 2012. Joseph A. Ferretti (left in mugshots above), of Dumont, and Joseph Meyer (right), of Oviedo, Fla., were originally charged with death by auto, a second-degree crime that has sent those convicted in New Jersey to prison for terms of five to 10 years, depending on various factors. A grand jury late…