A pedestrian died Sunday night after being struck by a Toyota RAV4 near the intersection of 23rd and Trenton Avenues in Paterson, and the driver has been charged with driving under the influence after refusing to take a chemical test. Police say 25-year-old Roniel Arias, of Paterson, was behind the wheel when the crash happened around 9:45 p.m.
According to the Paterson Times, the pedestrian struck by Arias's vehicle was pronounced dead at Saint Joseph's University Medical Center. The victim has not yet been publicly identified, and the investigation remains active and ongoing, the outlet reports. Emergency dispatchers sent police and EMS crews to 125 Trenton Avenue shortly before 9:45 p.m., where responders found the pedestrian in traumatic cardiac arrest before transporting the victim to the hospital under a trauma alert, according to RLS Media.
Arias refused to submit to chemical breath or blood testing after the crash and was released pending court proceedings once he was charged with DUI, according to a report from Independent Online News. The available materials do not establish whether the report discussed any additional consequences for refusing the test.
A Criminal History in Passaic County
Court and police records cited by Independent Online News show this isn't Arias's first brush with law enforcement in the area. The report also discusses his prior law-enforcement history.
Paterson police also arrested Arias in June 2023 on an aggravated assault charge involving the alleged choking of a domestic violence victim, the same Independent Online News report states. It's not yet clear whether that history will factor into how prosecutors handle the current fatal crash case.
Charges Could Escalate Beyond Municipal DUI
While Arias currently faces a municipal DUI charge, New Jersey law allows for far more serious charges when an impaired driver causes a death. Under N.J.S.A. 2C:11-5, causing a death while operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs constitutes death by auto, a second-degree crime punishable by five to ten years in state prison, according to Lubiner Schmidt and Palumbo. Whether prosecutors will pursue that upgraded charge remains an open question as the investigation continues.
This is the second fatal pedestrian crash in Paterson within the past few months. Just three months prior, on June 7, another unidentified male pedestrian was struck and killed at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Third Avenue in Paterson, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office. Both fatal crashes occurred on weekend evenings in Paterson.
Part of a Wider Traffic Safety Concern
The crash also lands amid broader concern about road safety across Passaic County and New Jersey.
State officials have been working to address traffic safety.
The Passaic County crash comes amid other traffic incidents in Paterson. Anyone with information about Sunday's fatal crash is asked to contact the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office tip line at 1-877-370-PCPO or submit tips anonymously through its online reporting portal.
