NEWARK, N.J. (TNND) — A 26-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed two women in Newark on Saturday night.
Authorities identified the suspect as David J. Zapata-Vera, who surrendered to police on Tuesday. He faces charges of two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide, two counts of second-degree leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, and two counts of third-degree endangering an injured victim.
Prosecutors stated Zapata-Vera struck the women, Mariana Elizabeth Valverde Beltran, 58, and Maria Isabel DeLosAngeles Salgado Ayala, 61, while they were using a crosswalk and subsequently fled the scene. Both women were transported to University Hospital, where they were pronounced dead.
Witnesses reported that the women had just left a World Cup watch party before the incident occurred. Authorities confirmed that video footage showed the vehicle speeding through the intersection, resulting in the women being thrown into the air upon impact.
The Essex County Prosecutor's Office is urging anyone with information to contact their Tips Line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.
The investigation is ongoing.