Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey and Chief Scott Cartmell of the Piscataway Township Police Department said a man has been arrested and charged with causing the death of a 22-year-old man early this morning.
According to authorities, Suraj Gagneja, 25, of Somerset has been charged with death by auto in the second degree, assault by auto in the fourth degree, and driving while intoxicated.
The victim, Antoine King Jr, 22, of Plainfield was pronounced dead at the scene.
Results of an autopsy by the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma.
The auto crash is being investigated by Police Officer Hakeem Abdullah of the Piscataway Police Department and Detective Donald Heck of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
The investigation began after police were dispatched to the scene of the crash on West 4th Street, near Kline Place in Piscataway, at 3:40 a.m.
The investigation determined that Gagneja, King and another male were all acquaintances.
While Gagneja was driving his 2006 Ford Explorer, King grabbed onto the outside of the vehicle. Subsequently, the driver lost control of his vehicle, struck a tree and caused the victim to receive massive head and neck injuries resulting in his death.
The investigation is active and is continuing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Officer Abdullah at (732) 562-1100 or Detective Heck at (732) 745-8842.