FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Caitlin Mota
PHONE: (201) 577-6699
EMAIL: cmota@hcpo.org
DATE: Friday, September 8, 2023

MAN CHARGED IN CONNECTION WITH FATAL COLLISION IN JERSEY CITY

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has released the following information:

The Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit has charged a 22-year-old man in connection with a fatal collision that occurred in Jersey City on Friday, September 1, 2023.

Gabriel Melo, of Newark, is charged with Death by Auto in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-5a. He was arrested at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Secaucus on Thursday, September 7, 2023, and transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility pending his first court appearance, which is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, September 13, 2023.

At approximately 2:15 a.m., the Jersey City Police Department was notified of a motor vehicle collision in the area of the Routes 1 and 9 North ramp on Route 139 West. Upon arrival, responding officers located a tractor trailer and a 2018 Audi passenger vehicle that had been involved in a collision. The Audi was found on its roof with extensive damage. All three occupants of the Audi were transported to Jersey City Medical Center for treatment. One passenger – Daniella Rosario, 21, of Bloomfield – was pronounced dead just after 2:50 a.m. Melo was issued a summons by the Jersey City Police Department during the preliminary investigation.

This matter is actively being investigated by the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and the Jersey City Police Department. The above charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. R.P.C.3.6(b)(6).