Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez has announced that a Paterson man has been arrested and charged with assault by auto for his involvement in a North Bergen crash that caused serious bodily injury to a 31-year-old Pennsylvania man on September 13.
According to officials, on Monday, November 16, just after 10 a.m., Nathaniel Dickerson, 31, of Paterson, turned himself in to detectives with the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit. Dickerson was charged with Assault by Auto.
According to police, on September 13, shortly after 3:35 a.m., the North Bergen Police Department responded to 910 Tonnele Avenue in North Bergen on reports of a single-vehicle collision. Upon arrival, responding officers found two injured individuals and a single vehicle that had collided with a utility pole at that location.
During the investigation by the Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit and the North Bergen Police Department, it was discovered that a 1999 Nissan Maxima struck a parked 2012 Honda Civic while traveling north on Tonnele Avenue before finally striking the utility pole.
The investigation also revealed that the Nissan struck a concrete barrier separating the northbound and southbound traffic before ricocheting across the right northbound lane and striking the parked vehicle and utility pole.
Police reported that Dickerson’s toxicology report from the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences later revealed that Dickerson’s blood alcohol content was 0.205% (g/100mL).
According to police, the 31-year-old passenger in the Nissan, a Johnstown, Pennsylvania man, sustained serious bodily injuries after he was ejected from the vehicle upon collision. Both the passenger and Dickerson, who also sustained injuries, were transported by Emergency Medical Services to Jersey City Medical Center where they were treated for their injuries.
The above charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.