BELLEVILLE –
A 23-year-old Belleville woman has been charged with vehicular homicide in connection with the death last week of a taxicab driver in Newark, Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray has announced.
Authorities said Anaisa Bautista was driving in the city at approximately 3 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20, when her Honda struck a taxi being operated by Frederick Abbeyson on the 500 block of Broad St., near the Bridge St. intersection.
Abbeyson, 38, of East Orange, was killed in the crash. Two passengers in his cab sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to University Hospital in Newark, as was Bautista.
The charges against her were filed the next day. In addition to vehicular homicide, she is also charged with two counts of aggravated assault. Bail was set at $300,000.
The investigation is active and ongoing, but according to the prosecutor’s office, the preliminary investigation indicates that alcohol was a factor in the fatal collision.
As of press time, no further information was available.
– Karen Zautyk
