Tragedy struck last weekend when a man riding a motorcycle was struck and killed by a truck on Bergen Avenue in Kearny, Capt. Timothy Wagner, the Kearny Police Department’s public-information officer said.
According to Wagner, the incident occurred April 14, 2023, at approximately 1:12 a.m. in the area of 450 Bergen Ave. A 45-year-old Newark, later identified as Helder P. Martins, was riding a motorcycle on Bergen Avenue and collided with a Cali Carting garbage truck that was exiting the Cali parking lot.
Martins was pronounced dead at the scene by RWJ Barnabas paramedics. The KPD Traffic Bureau performed a crash investigation at the scene. Martins was taken by the Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office, which is jointly investigating.
According to Martins’s obituary, he was born Jan. 8, 1978, in Girabolhos, Distrito de Seia, Portugal, and came to the United States in 1996, residing in Belleville for many years, before settling in Newark.
Her was a foreman for JR Cruz Construction of Aberdeen and was an active parishioner at Our Lady of Fatima Church, Newark.
He was also an avid motorcycle rider with the Mondego Motorcycle Club of Kearny.
Mondego will coordinate with all local clubs, inviting anyone wanting to take part in a motorcade/rev up to the funeral home to meet at the ACP Club, 408 Schuyler Ave., by 6 p.m., April 19, as the motorcade will be leaving at 6:30 p.m. sharp. Members who will be attending should arrive by 5:30 p.m. to help guide riders as they arrive. Organizers say the Kearny Police Department will provide an escort from the club to the Armitage & Wiggins Funeral Home, Belgrove Drive, Kearny.
Martins leaves behind his children Sofia and Daniel, his parents Manuel and Conceicao Martins and a brother Rui Martins.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.