Two Newark residents were killed Saturday night after being struck by a hit-and-run driver as they walked home from a World Cup watch party. Mariana Elizabeth Valverde Beltran, 58, and Maria Isabel DeLosAngeles Salgado Ayala, 61, were crossing the intersection of Park Avenue and North 7th Street when a vehicle hit them.
Surveillance footage shows a vehicle, identified as being driven by 26-year-old David J. Zapata-Vera, accelerating through the intersection and striking the two women. One witness told WABC that the driver appeared to accelerate through the crosswalk as the traffic light was changing.
The victims were transported to University Hospital Newark, where they were pronounced dead. Relatives expressed their grief and the lasting impact of the incident.
Zapata-Vera, of Newark, surrendered to police on Tuesday, three days after the crash. He has been charged with two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide, two counts of second-degree leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, and two counts of third-degree endangering an injured victim. He is currently being held without bond in the Essex County jail.