By: Richard L. Smith
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office has charged Mr. Ruben Dominguez, a former business owner with prominent family ties to Newark’s East Ward, with vehicular homicide and other related offenses after a fatal hit-and-run incident in Newark's Ironbound section.
According to a statement released to RLS Media by Thomas Fennelly, Chief Assistant Prosecutor at the Essex County Prosecutor's Office, Dominguez is accused of striking and killing pedestrian Mr. Mario Calvache, 34, and then leaving the scene.
The incident occurred around 3 a.m. on Friday, May 31, at the intersection of Wilson Avenue and Lafayette Street.
Emergency responders were dispatched to the nearby intersection of Wilson Avenue and Hensler Street shortly before 3 a.m. following reports of an injured person on the roadway. Upon arrival, Newark Police found Mr. Calvache with severe injuries.
Despite immediate aid, he was pronounced dead at the scene Chief Fennelly said.
Mr. Calvache, a longtime resident of the Ironbound area, was an Ecuadorian native who graduated from Science High School in 2008 and Lehigh University.
Surveillance video observed by RLS Media showed Mr. Calvache in the final moments of his life, attempting to dodge a vehicle that came directly toward him. The video depicted him trying to evade the vehicle, which appeared quickly at the intersection.
He didn't have time to know whether to proceed or go back to the sidewalk once he entered the intersection.
County officials believe that Dominguez was driving the car that struck Calvache and then fled the scene, leaving him there to die.
Chief Fennelly told RLS Media that Dominguez surrendered to Prosecutor’s detectives without incident days later. He has since been released on conditions after appearing in CJP Court.
Residents in the Ironbound community, interviewed by RLS Media, expressed concerns about the influence of Dominguez’s family.
They noted that Dominguez was the former owner of Catas restaurant, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Dominguez family was described by residents as “wealthy and well-connected”, with significant influence in the Ironbound section.
"We are afraid that his influence in the East Ward will help keep things quiet and Calvache’s family will not get due justice," residents told RLS Media.
They further mentioned that Dominguez’s father owns businesses in the Ironbound area.
The charges against Ruben Dominguez are merely allegations at this time, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The community continues to seek justice for Mario Calvache as the legal process unfolds. We will continue to track developments in this case.
