Authorities have arrested a North Bergen man and charged him with causing a motor vehicle death four months after the crash occurred, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez announced.
By Corey McDonald/Hudson County View
Fernando Batista, 24, was arrested on Oct. 21 in West New York by members of the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and he has been charged with death by auto, Suarez said in a statement.
Batista, in June, had been driving in West New York when his car collided with a 2004 Infiniti at the intersection of 60th and Jefferson Street. He had been driving with Alyssa Matos, age 20, from Queens, and a 22-year-old male from North Bergen.
Batista and the unnamed 22-year-old survived, while both passengers in the Infiniti walked away with non-life-threatening injuries.
However, Matos was later pronounced dead at Jersey City Medical Center. The Regional Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of death to be blunt impact injuries of the head.
An investigation later determined that Batista failed to observe a red light when it collided with the Infiniti.
The New Jersey State Police forensic laboratory also determined that Batista had THC in his system at the time.
Along with the death by auto charge, Batista was also been charged with one count of third-degree assault by auto, two counts of fourth-degree assault by auto, and possession of marijuana.
Follow Corey McDonald on Twitter @cwmcdonald_
