By: Richard L. Smith
Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II and Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda announced an arrest in connection with a deadly two-car crash that claimed the life of an elderly woman in Newark on Monday, April 27, 2026.
Authorities said Aides Benites Rivera, 45, of Newark, has been charged with second-degree leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.
Preliminary information indicates Rivera was operating a Dodge Ram pickup truck Monday afternoon when the vehicle struck a parked car outside the Ivy Hill Laundromat.
The impact caused both vehicles to crash through the front of the business.
Officials said the victim, Ruth Benjamim, 81, of Newark, was seated at a table near the front of the laundromat when she was struck. She was pronounced dead at the scene.