More Charges Filed In Old Bridge DUI Hit-And-Run, Police Say

OLD BRIDGE, NJ — New charges were filed Monday against an Old Bridge man who police say drove drunk and killed a 19-year-old MIT student over Memorial Day weekend, and then tried to run away from the crash site.

The fatal hit and run occurred May 25, just before midnight on Texas Road, near Rt. 9 in Old Bridge Township.

Police say Aliaksandr Tsytsenia, 28, of Old Bridge, was driving a Mercedes Benz S550 "at a high rate of speed when he crossed over the double yellow lines to pass a vehicle operating at or near the speed limit." This caused him to crash head-on with an oncoming Toyota Corolla, driven by Aliza Akhtar, 19.

Both Akhtar and her passenger, a 15-year-old girl, were rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where the younger teen was treated for her injuries and survived.

But Akhtar was pronounced dead at Robert Wood.

Tsytsenia attempted to walk away following the crash, Old Bridge police said.

The Mercedes he was driving caught fire and Old Bridge police said they found him about 80 yards down Texas Road, reported NJ.com. The Old Bridge police officer who arrested him said he smelled alcohol on his breath, and Tsytsenia admitted he had "two drinks,” according to the report.

He was initially charged with vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of an accident in the second degree, assault by auto in the fourth degree and driving while intoxicated. On Monday, June 10, he was hit with the following additional charges: One count of aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, and one count of assault by auto in the third degree. The assault by auto charge was brought after it was determined that the 15-year-old passenger suffered a serious bodily injury.

Akhtar has just wrapped up her freshman year at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she was studying on a full scholarship, the Tribune reported. She was an active member of MIT's Muslim-Pakistani community.

On her last summer break, Akhtar taught math, English, robotics and physics with MIT's Global Teaching Labs (GTL) in Mexico. This summer, she was planning to head to Spain to work on autonomous vehicles with the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives, according to The Tech, an MIT student publication.

Initial Patch article on this incident: NJ Teen Killed In Drunk Hit-And-Run Memorial Day Weekend: PD

Tsytsenia is being held at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center pending a Detention Hearing schedule for Tuesday in New Brunswick before Superior Court Judge Alberto Rivas.