Newark man charged in fatal crash on route 46 — Yellow law enforcement tape isolating crime scene. Blurred view of city, toned in red and blue police car lights

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS, NJ — A 36-year-old man from Newark has been arrested on multiple charges, including second-degree death by auto, in connection with a fatal single-car crash early Sunday on Route 46 West in Hasbrouck Heights.

Jose M. Sumba Astudillo was identified as the driver of a 2019 Hyundai that struck a highway divider around 2:28 a.m., killing one passenger and seriously injuring another, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella. Authorities initially believed Sumba Astudillo was a passenger after he falsely claimed the driver had fled the scene.

Angel S. Uzhca Yadaicela, 57, of Elmwood Park, was pronounced dead at Hackensack University Medical Center after the crash, and a second passenger remains hospitalized in critical condition. Sumba Astudillo suffered minor injuries and was taken to the same hospital but later released into police custody.

An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit and local law enforcement revealed that Sumba Astudillo was driving under the influence of alcohol and unlicensed at the time of the crash. In addition to charges of second-degree death by auto, he faces counts of aggravated assault, hindering apprehension, and providing false information to law enforcement.

Sumba Astudillo was transported to the Bergen County Jail and is awaiting a first appearance in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack.

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