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William Frazier, 53, of Newark, had initially been charged with causing death while driving with a suspended license and driving while intoxicated after the March 13 crash on Harrison Avenue, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.
Frazier was arrested Thursday at the Hudson County Jail, where he was being held pending a trial, on new charges of aggravated manslaughter, death by auto, and two counts of assault by auto, Suarez said.
Frazier was heading westbound on Harrison Avenue in a 2017 Nissa Altima when he struck a 2018 Kia Soul going east near Bergen Avenue, March 13 around 6:30 p.m., Suarez said.
The crashed caused the Kia to veer into oncoming traffic and strike a 2009 Freightliner truck cab.
Vance Caswell, 26 of Newark -- who was a passenger in the Kia -- was transported by Emergency Medical Services to St. Michael’s Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at approximately 7:40 p.m. that night, Suarez said.
The drivers of both the Kia and the Freightliner sustained non-life threatening injuries. They were transported by EMS to University Hospital where they were treated and later released.
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