Belleville Man Pleads Guilty After Crash Kills Teen: Prosecutors

BELLEVILLE, NJ — A Belleville resident has pleaded guilty to multiple charges in connection with a fatal crash that took place in Morris County, authorities say.

Gerald Veneziano, 41, of Belleville, pleaded guilty to second-degree reckless vehicular homicide and driving under the influence earlier this week, according to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

The two-vehicle crash took place May 31 around 10:30 p.m. on Howard Boulevard in Roxbury, when a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado traveling northbound collided with a southbound 2019 Mazda 3, according to a previous statement from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and the Roxbury Police Department.

Police investigators determined that the Silverado was traveling about 90 miles per hour at the time of the collision, prosecutors said.

The driver of the Mazda – later identified as Jacob Davis, 19, of Flanders – was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Veneziano – the driver who was behind the wheel of the Silverado – was extracted from the car and transported to Morristown Medical Center with serious internal injuries, authorities said.

“Numerous open alcohol containers were found in the vicinity of the Silverado,” prosecutors noted in their statement.

Prosecutors have recommended a six-year prison sentence under the No Early Release Act. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 14.

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