Driver busted months after deadly park crash rocked Hudson County
Secaucus, NJ — A winter afternoon collision inside West Hudson Park that left one man dead and another seriously injured has now led to criminal charges against a 27-year-old driver, months after the incident unfolded on a park roadway and ended in a fatal outcome.
Hudson County Prosecutor Wayne Mello announced that Zaire Ferguson, 27, of Carteret, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the January crash. He is charged with second-degree death by auto, third-degree assault by auto, third-degree causing death while driving suspended, and fourth-degree causing serious bodily injury while driving suspended.
Ferguson was taken into custody by members of the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Secaucus. He was transported to the Hudson County Correctional Facility, where he remains pending his first court appearance.
The charges stem from a crash reported at approximately 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 8, when two pedestrians were struck along Woodland Drive in West Hudson Park. Emergency responders arrived and located two adult men with serious injuries. Both victims were transported to University Hospital in Newark.
Officials said the driver remained at the scene following the collision.
One of the victims, Gary Gross, 58, of Kearny, died from his injuries on Thursday, January 15, days after the crash. Information regarding the second victim’s condition beyond initial reports of serious injury was not immediately released.
The arrest follows an investigation conducted by the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit, which reviewed the circumstances of the crash, including the driver’s status at the time.
The charges are accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Key Points
- Carteret man charged months after crash that killed a 58-year-old pedestrian
- Two men were struck in West Hudson Park and taken to a Newark hospital
- Prosecutors filed multiple charges including death by auto and driving while suspended
