Camden County Prosecutor Mary Eva Colalillo and Winslow Police Chief Robert Stimelski reported a Pennsylvania man has been charged following a motor vehicle crash that killed a child and injured several others.
Anders Opitz, 19, of Phoenixville, PA, is charged with one count of death by auto and four counts of assault by auto in connection with a crash on Route 73 near Hays Mill Road in Winslow around 6:30 a.m. on June 29, 2015.
Opitz was driving a 2003 Ford F-250 northbound on Route 73 when he sideswiped a northbound 2007 Chevy Van operated by a 60-year-old Berlin man. Optiz’s truck next struck a northbound 2014 Mini Cooper operated by a 64-year-old Landisville man.
Opitz’s truck then crashed into the rear of a 2006 Honda Accord operated by a 39-year-old Port Norris man. The collision pushed the Honda into a 2008 Nissan Rogue, operated by a 54-year-old Hammonton man, which was stopped in traffic. The Nissan Rogue was subsequently pushed into a Nissan Versa operated by a 23-year-old Hammonton woman.
One passenger in the Honda Accord, the driver’s 19-month-old daughter, was airlifted to Cooper University Hospital, where she later succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased.
Ortiz and four other people, including the girl’s 28-year-old mother and the drivers of the Mini Cooper and both Nissans – were injured and treated at area hospitals.
An investigation conducted by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and Winslow Police revealed Opitz was driving in a reckless manner at the time of the crash.
He was charged on Friday and later released after posting $100,000 bail.