A Newark man was driving under the influence of alcohol when he was involved in a single-car incident on Route 46 in Hasbrouck Heights early Sunday morning, which killed another man, according to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to authorities, Jose M. Sumba Astudillo, 36, was driving the 2019 Hyundai that collided with a highway divider on Route 46 West.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, officers from Hasbrouck Heights and Lodi, as well as the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the incident about 2:28 a.m.
Angel S. Uzhca Yadaicela, 57, of Elmwood Park, was one of the passengers in the vehicle and was subsequently pronounced dead at Hackensack University Medical Center.
Another occupant, who was not identified in the Prosecutor’s Office press release, was seriously injured in the incident and remains in critical condition at Hackensack.
The alleged driver, Astudillo, was also injured and sent to Hackensack Medical Center before being released.
He is suspected of giving misleading statements to the police. Astudillo allegedly told arriving cops that he was a passenger in the automobile and that the driver “ran away after the crash,” according to officials. According to law enforcement, Astudillo was behind the wheel.
Astudillo is charged with second-degree death by auto, second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree assault by auto, third-degree causing a death while operating an unlicensed vehicle, fourth-degree causing serious bodily injury while operating an unlicensed vehicle, second-degree providing a false report to law enforcement, third-degree hindering apprehension, and fourth-degree obstructing the administration of law.
He was being held in the Bergen County Jail for his initial appearance in Hackensack’s state Superior Court.