Authorities Announce Charge in Fatal Crash on Route 23 in Pequannock

Published on May 08, 2023

Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, and Pequannock Township Police Chief Daniel Comune announce a charge has been filed in connection with a fatal motor vehicle crash that occurred in Pequannock Township on May 8, 2023.

At approximately 5:18 a.m. on May 8, 2023, law enforcement officers were dispatched to the scene of a motor vehicle collision involving a 2020 Chevy Traverse and a garbage truck at the intersection of Route 23 North and Alexander Avenue in Pequannock Township. The investigation revealed the Traverse was stopped at a red light when he was struck from behind by a garbage truck. As a result, the Traverse caught fire. The unconscious Traverse driver was pulled from the vehicle by the garbage truck driver and a bystander. Rescue efforts were unsuccessfully attempted by patrol officers and medical personnel, and the driver was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The driver of the garbage truck, Angel Caraballo-Maldona, age 45, of Newark, has been charged with second degree Reckless Vehicular Homicide. Video surveillance revealed the driver was utilizing his cell phone at the time of the crash.

Results of a post-mortem examination are pending.

Caraballo-Maldona has been lodged in the Morris County Correctional Facility in accordance with the Criminal Justice Reform Act, pending a first appearance in court.

A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, the defendant is presumed innocent until he is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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