One Dead in Crash on Northfield Ave. in West Orange

Updated: Wednesday, 7:54 a.m.

One person died in a car crash on Northfield Avenue in West Orange on Tuesday afternoon, officials with the Essex County Prosecutor's Office said.

Marouso Chiovaro, 36, of West Orange was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 1:29 p.m., according to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray.

The crash happened shortly before 1 p.m., when a blue Toyota Camry traveling east bound on Northfield Avenue in the area of Highwood Road crossed over into the west bound lanes of traffic and was struck by a red Honda Pilot, said Katherine Carter, a spokeswoman with the prosecutor's office.

She said Chiovaro was the driver of the Camry. The driver of the Honda was transported to University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The crash caused traffic delays in the area, with Northfield Avenue closed off in both directions between Gregory and Prospect Avenues hours after the accident.

West Orange officials and members of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office dotted the scene Tuesday on Northfield Avenue..

A resident who lives in the area said she heard the crash from her home off Northfield Avenue. "I heard one car hitting another car," she said. The resident, who did not give her name, said she hears crashes all the time from her home and while this incident "didn't sound worse than normal," she was concerned when she saw six police cars whiz by her.

Murray announced Tuesday night that the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit and the West Orange Police are investigating the fatal motor vehicle crash.