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Car Crash Killed Elderly Woman At Newark Laundromat, NJ Man Arrested: UPDATE

The victim was sitting inside the laundromat when two cars crashed through the front of the building, authorities said.

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A New Jersey man has been accused of leaving the scene of a car crash that killed a woman in Essex County on Monday.

The fatal crash took place around 2:30 p.m. outside the Ivy Hill Laundromat on Irvington Avenue in Newark, authorities said.

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According to a preliminary police report, a Dodge Ram pickup truck struck a parked car outside the building, causing both vehicles to crash through the front of the business.

The victim – who has been identified as Ruth Benjamin, 81, of Newark – was sitting at a table near the front of the laundromat at the time she was struck.

Benjamin was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a statement from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and the Newark Department of Public Safety.

On Wednesday, prosecutors announced that an arrest has been made in the case.

Aides Benites Rivera, 45, of Newark, has been charged with second-degree leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. No additional information was immediately available.

Authorities said anyone with information can contact the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Tips Line at 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

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