NEWARK, N.J. (TNND) — A 26-year-old man was arrested for a hit-and-run crash that resulted in the deaths of two women in Newark on Saturday night.
Authorities identified the suspect as David J. Zapata-Vera, who surrendered to police on Tuesday, according to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. He faces charges of two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide, two counts of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, and two counts of third-degree endangering an injured victim.
The prosecutor's office reported that Zapata-Vera struck the victims, 58-year-old Mariana Elizabeth Valverde Beltran and 61-year-old Maria Isabel DeLosAngeles Salgado Ayala, while they were in a crosswalk. Both women were transported to University Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
Witnesses stated that the women had just exited a World Cup watch party before the incident. Video footage reportedly captured the crash, showing the vehicle speeding through the intersection and causing the victims to be thrown into the air.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the crash to contact the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Tips Line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC. The case is still under investigation.