WNY Man charged with DWI and Vehicular Homicide after NB Passenger is Killed when the car struck a utility pole

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of JOSE FRANCISCO-GARCIA (DOB: 03/24/1993; single; surveillance system installer) of 323 53rd Street, West New York, NJ, on a charge of Vehicular Homicide.  The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti and the Fairview Police Department under the direction of Chief Martin Kahn.

At approximately 1:29 a.m. on March 18, 2020, the Fairview Police Department responded to a report of a motor vehicle crash in front of One Broad Avenue.  At the scene, officers observed a 2017 Honda Civic with severe damage resulting from impact with a utility pole.  The driver, JOSE FRANCISCO-GARCIA, was outside of the vehicle and had suffered minor injuries.  The front-seat passenger, 40-year-old Jose Santos of North Bergen, NJ, had suffered fatal injuries.

As a result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit and the Fairview Police Department, FRANCISCO GARCIA was charged with one count of Vehicular Homicide, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:11-5, a 2nd degree crime.  He was also charged with the following motor vehicle violations: Driving While Intoxicated, in violation of N.J.S.A. 39:4-50; Reckless Driving, in violation of N.J.S.A. 39:4-96; and Failure To Maintain Lane, in violation of N.J.S.A. 39:488.  FRANCISCO-GARCIA is scheduled for a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ on Monday, March 30, 2020.

Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and he  would also like to thank the Fairview Police Department for its assistance in this investigation.