A young North Bergen man has been charged with death by auto after a passenger in his vehicle died from a crash he caused on Westside Avenue back in September, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced.Â
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Daniel Rodriguez, 19, of North Bergen, turned himself in without incident to members of the Fatal Collision Unit at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Jersey City yesterday, Suarez said in a statement.
He was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny following
his arrest. He has been charged with death by auto and was scheduled to make his first appearance in Criminal Justice Reform Court in the Hudson County Administration Building in Jersey City today, authorities said.
Suarez credited the Hudson County Regional Fatal Collision Unit for the investigation and arrest and the North Bergen Police Department for their assistance in the investigation, officials said.
On Thursday, September 20th, at approximately 9:40 p.m., the North Bergen Police
Department received a report of a collision on Westside Avenue in North Bergen.
Upon arrival, responding officers found that a 2013 Infiniti had collided with a tractor trailer, police said.
The investigation by the Hudson County Regional Fatal Collision Unit and the North Bergen
Police Department determined that the Infiniti was traveling north on Westside Avenue at an excessive rate of speed when the collision occurred.
The tractor trailer was pulling out of the driveway of 4700 Westside Avenue and about to make a turn onto Westside Avenue when it was struck by the Infiniti, authorities said.
Both Rodriguez and the passenger of the Infiniti were treated at the scene by Emergency Medical Services before being transported to Hackensack University Medical Center where they were initially listed in critical condition, officials said.
The passenger, identified as William David, 36, of North Bergen was pronounced dead on
September 23rd while in Hackensack University Medical Center.
The driver of the tractor trailer was not injured as a result of the collision and remained at the scene while members of the Hudson County Regional Fatal Collision Unit and the North Bergen Police Department conducted their investigation.
