Somerset Man Charged With Piscataway Fatal Car Crash

SOMERSET, NJ — A Somerset man was charged with causing the death of a 22-year-old Plainfield man in Piscataway, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Piscataway Police Chief Scott Cartmell said.

Suraj Gagneja, 25, of Somerset has been charged with death by auto in the second degree, assault by auto in the fourth degree, and driving while intoxicated.

A crash was reported on West 4th Street, near Kline Place in Piscataway, at 3:40 a.m. The victim Antoine King Jr, 22, of Plainfield was pronounced dead at the scene, Carey said.

Gagneja, King and another man were all acquaintances.

An investigation found that while Gagneja was driving his 2006 Ford Explorer, King grabbed onto the outside of the vehicle.

Gagneja then lost control of his vehicle, struck a tree and caused King to receive massive head and neck injuries resulting in his death, Carey said.

Results of an autopsy by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma.

The auto crash is being investigated by Police Officer Hakeem Abdullah of the Piscataway Police Department and Detective Donald Heck of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

The investigation is active and is continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Police Officer Abdullah at 732-562-1100 or Detective Heck at 732-745-8842.

(Image via Shutterstock)

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