Driver Charged After Woman Killed When Car Plunges Into Icy Delaware River
BURLINGTON, NJ (CBS) -- A driver has been charged after a crash left one person dead when their car ended up in the Delaware River in Burlington County.
It happened about 1 p.m Sunday at Riverbank Road near Wood Street in the city of Burlington.
Officers say the vehicle had broken through the ice atop of the river and the female passenger was still in the front seat and had become submerged in the water. Police say the driver, identified as 24-year-old Jacob Garrett, fled the scene.
The preliminary investigation revealed that Garrett was traveling at a high rate of speed along Riverbank Road when his vehicle struck a parked minivan before vaulting over the river wall and into the water, according to police.
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The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office says witnesses told authorities that Garrett told them to "help my girlfriend" before fleeing the scene.
Officials say the female passenger, identified as 23-year-old Stephanie White, was transported to Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro, where she would later be pronounced dead.
Police say Garrett was later picked up by police officers from Beverly City and Edgewater Park Township, and was taken to Lourdes for a medical evaluation.
Garrett has been charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident, causing death while driving with suspended license, and endangering an injured victim.
