New Charges For Driver In Bergen County Rollover Crash That Killed His 2 Passengers

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A Teaneck man who was charged with driving while intoxicated after he crashed his car into a tree — killing his two passengers — has now been charged with manslaughter, prosecutors said.

Teddy Mejia, 32, was first charged on Saturday, Oct. 21 with driving while intoxicated, vehicular homicide, reckless driving, and possession of a controlled substance after the fatal 2:08 a.m. crash. The Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said that his 2021 BMW had left the road near Bilton Street, struck a tree, and overturned.

Passengers Rudy Rosales Escobar of Hasbrouck Heights, 40, and Alexander Cosme Curruchich of Englewood, 29,
were pronounced dead at the scene, the Prosecutor's Office said.

That day, authorities arrested Mejia and discovered a controlled substance on his person, prosecutors said.

Mejia was taken to the hospital, and was to be taken to Bergen County Jail to await a court appearance, prosecutors said at the time.

Since then, "further investigation revealed that Teddy Mejia was also operating his vehicle at an excessive speed, while under the influence of alcohol, immediately prior to the crash," the Prosecutor's Office announced this week.

As a result, Mejia was additionally charged with two counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter.

Mejia remains in the custody of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department, prosecutors said.

Services were held for Escobar on Monday, his obituary says.