Gloucester County officials said at approximately 1:18 p.m., officers from the Paulsboro Police Department were dispatched to the area of North Commerce and Buck Streets, Paulsboro, for a deceased male laying on a sidewalk adjacent to North Commerce Street.
As a result of an immediate follow-up investigation, personnel from the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office and the Paulsboro Police Department determined the victim was struck by a red van driven by Giovanni Esposito of Gibbstown.
Officials said the investigation disclosed that the victim and Giovanni Esposito were known to each other from a recent physical altercation on a prior date.
Esposito was apprehended a short distance from the crime scene and his vehicle was located and seized as evidence.
An autopsy conducted on Monday, March 21 by the Gloucester County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the manner of death as Blunt Force Trauma to the Chest and cause of death as Homicide.
Esposito has been charged with Murder and lodged in the Salem County Correctional Facility pending a detention hearing.
Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of their rights as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State Law.
Anyone with additional information relevant to this investigation is encouraged to contact Det. Krystal Santiago of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, at 856-384-5508, or Sgt. Len Vasta of the Paulsboro Police Department, at 856-423-1101.