A Newark NJ man recently appeared in Hudson County Superior Court and pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter charges.
The suspect is a 33-year-old man who resided in Newark, New Jersey. He is now headed to NJ State Prison after admitting guilt for causing a fatal accident in West New York earlier this year.
The fatal car crash occurred a short time after 8:00 a.m. on February 19, 2016. The suspect was driving an SUV on Van Buren Place in West New York, NJ when he struck two pedestrians in the roadway. The victims, a seven-year-old girl and her mother, were walking across Van Buren Place at the intersection with 61st Street.
At the time of the auto accident, the victims were walking to the young girl’s elementary school.
After the crash, the suspect stopped his SUV, exited the vehicle, and then got back inside and drove off without bothering to offer assistance or call for help.
The suspect later tried to cover up his involvement in the fatal accident by falsely reporting his vehicle as stolen.
Police eventually identified and arrested the suspect. He was charged with numerous crimes, including vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, endangering an injured victim, and hindng apprehension.
The suspect ultimately reached a plea deal with Hudson County prosecutors and agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charges in exchange for prosecutors dropping the more serious charges of vehicular homicide.
The suspect will still have to appear in Hudson County Superior Court, located in Jersey City, for a formal sentencing hearing. At that time, he could potentially be sentenced to 11 years behind bars.
For further information about this case, see the NJ.com article, “Newark Man Facing 11 Years for Fatal Hit-and-Run of 7-Year-Old Girl.”
