A fatal accident on Harrison Avenue Friday, March 13, has led to the arrest of the man who was driving one of the vehicles involved, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said.
According to Suarez:
On Friday, March 13, at approximately 6:30 p.m., members of the Kearny Police Department responded to the area of 1806 Harrison Avenue in Kearny on reports of a collision. Upon arrival, responding officers found a multi-vehicle collision involving multiple injured individuals.
The initial investigation by the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and the Kearny Police Department determined that a 2017 Nissan Altima traveling west on Harrison Avenue struck an eastbound 2018 Kia Soul causing the vehicle to veer into westbound lanes where it was struck by a 2009 Freightliner truck (cab only).
Vance Caswell, 26, of Newark, who was a passenger in the Kia, was transported by Emergency Medical Services to St. Michael’s Medical Center, Newark, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 7:40 p.m. The cause and manner of death are pending an investigation by the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.
The drivers of both the Kia and the Freightliner sustained non-life threatening injuries. They were transported by EMS to University Hospital where they were treated and later released.
The driver of the Nissan Altima, William Frazier, 53, of Newark, has been arrested and charged with third-degree causing a death while driving with a suspended license. He was also charged with drunken driving, a motor vehicle violation. Additional charges and summonses may be pending.
Suarez credited the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and the Kearny Police Department with the investigation and the arrest.
The events surrounding the collision remain under investigation by the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit with assistance from the Kearny Police Department. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip on the Hudson County Prosecutor’s official website at www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip.
All information will be kept confidential.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, a place where he has served on and off since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on Facebook Live, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to West Hudson to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.