Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey announced today that a charge of aggravated manslaughter has been filed against a Plainfield man who previously was arrested on a charge of causing the auto-related fatality of a 70-year-old woman.
Chiwueze Ebere, 29, of Plainfield was charged on July 1, 2015 with the manslaughter count in the death of Wupiju Lin, 70, of Edison.
The victim died after the car in which she was riding was struck by the defendant’s car at Route 1 south and Plainfield Avenue in Edison on June 27, 2015 at 11:34 p.m.
Bail was raised to $150,000 after an investigation by the Edison Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office developed information that warranted the filing of the aggravated manslaughter count.
Ebere initially was charged with death by auto and remains in custody at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center in North Brunswick.
The investigation determined that Ebere, who was driving a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, was heading south on Route 1 when he ran a red light and crashed into a 2002 Acura RL that was being driven by the victim’s husband, who was on Plainfield Avenue and was crossing Route 1.
Following the collision, the victim’s vehicle crashed into a third car, a 2011 Honda Civic, which was stopped on Plainfield Avenue and was waiting for the traffic light to turn green.
Two people in that vehicle were not injured. Ms. Wupiju was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, where she was pronounced dead at 12:22 a.m. on June 28, 2015.
The investigation is active and is continuing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Officer Chonka of the Edison Police Department at (732) 248-7400, or Detective Heck of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-3711.