UPDATE: Garbage truck driver charged in fiery crash that killed man in Morris County
PEQUANNOCK TOWNSHIP, NJ (Morris County) – A garbage truck driver has been charged in connection with a fatal motor vehicle crash that occurred in Pequannock Township early Monday morning, according to Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll.
The crash happened on May 8, at around 5:18 a.m. at the intersection of Route 23 North and Alexander Avenue, Carroll said.
The investigation revealed that a 2020 Chevy Traverse was stopped at a red light when he was struck from behind by a garbage truck, driven by Angel Carabello-Maldona, 45, of Newark, and then the Traverse caught fire, Carroll said.
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 dead at the scene, Carroll said.
Video surveillance revealed the driver was utilizing his cell phone at the time of the crash, Carroll said.
Results of a post-mortem examination are pending, Carroll said.
Carabello-Maldona has been charged with second-degree reckless vehicular homicide. He was lodged in the Morris County Correctional Facility pending a first appearance in court.
