Newark community mourns a beloved 17-year-old — as driver faces charges

⚠️ A Bloomfield man faces three criminal counts in the death of a 17-year-old Newark pedestrian.

➡️ Police say surveillance video shows the driver speeding before striking the teen and fleeing.

🔴 The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and state authorities are conducting separate investigations.

NEWARK — An Essex County driver has been criminally charged after a hit-and-run that killed a 17-year-old pedestrian who was beloved by her school community.

Erik Montesinos, of Bloomfield, was charged with second-degree counts of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death as well as third-degree endangering an injured victim, in the death of Zakiyah Dansby, Newark police said.

Police say driver was speeding before deadly hit-and-run

Video surveillance shows Montesinos was speeding in a gray sedan on Aug. 9 just before 9 p.m., when he struck the Newark teen, near the intersection of Bloomfield Avenue and Mount Prospect Avenue.

Montesinos, who turns 26 at the end of the month, fled the scene…

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