Unlicensed driver in Route 46 fatal crash lied about role, cops say

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS — The driver of a vehicle in a fatal crash on Route 46 initially denied to police being behind the wheel, officials said.

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said a Hyundai heading west around 2:30 a.m. Sunday collided with the concrete divider injuring the three individuals inside. Jose M. Sumba Astudillo, 36, of Newark, told responding police he was a passenger and that the driver ran off.

One of the passengers, Angel S. Uzhca Yadaicela, 57, of Elmwood Park, was later pronounced dead at Hackensack University Medical Center. A second passenger is still hospitalized in critical condition as of Tuesday.

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The truth comes out

The investigation into the crash determined Astudillo was the driver, unlicensed and driving under the influence of alcohol, according to Musella.

He faces charges related to giving a false report to police in addition to driving under the influence of alcohol, second-degree death by auto, second-degree aggravated assault and being an unlicensed driver.

Astudillo is being held at the Bergen County Jail awaiting his first court appearance.

It is the 39th fatal crash in Bergen County and the first on Route 46 this year, according to State Police records.

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