SOUTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Raymond Hayducka of the South Brunswick Police Department announced charges against Joseph Vega, 43, of Bridgeton, in connection with a fatal crash on April 12, 2024.
At approximately 9:36 A.M. on April 12, authorities responded to a crash at the intersection of Route 1 and Ridge Road. A tractor-trailer driven by Vega struck a passenger van, causing it to collide with two other vehicles. Both the tractor-trailer and the van caught fire. The three individuals in the van—Charisse Nelson-Bailey, 24, of Princeton Junction; Daniel Vida, 28, of Princeton Junction; and Maria Passalaris, 25, of Skillman—were pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation, led by Officer Bryan Sites of the South Brunswick Police Department and Sergeant Jonathan Berman of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, determined that Vega was transporting an oversized concrete load and failed to stop for a red light, resulting in the collision.
On May 29, Vega was charged with three counts of first-degree Aggravated Manslaughter and three counts of second-degree Vehicular Homicide. He was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force in Georgia on July 3, 2024. Vega will be housed in Georgia pending extradition and will face a detention hearing upon his return to New Jersey.
