Fiery Car Crash Kills 3 Essex County Residents: ‘Speed Was Likely A Factor’

ORANGE, NJ — Authorities suspect that speed may have played a role in a fiery crash that killed three Essex County residents on Saturday.

A 2006 Chevy Malibu with a driver and two passengers crashed into a tree near Tremont and Mosswood avenues in Orange around 1:30 a.m., causing the vehicle to burst into flames, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and Orange Police Director Todd Warren announced in a joint statement.

The car’s driver, Shaquan Dennis, 36, of Irvington, and the passengers, Safiyyah Scott, 35, of Newark and Michael T. Nelson, 30, of East Orange, died in the crash, authorities stated.

“A preliminary investigation indicates that speed was likely a factor in the crash,” prosecutors stated.

Police are conducting an investigation into the crash, authorities said.

Photo: News 12