Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina and Mount Laurel Police Chief Stephen Riedener announced that a 25-year-old Nutley man has been charged with causing the death of another motorist during a collision on Route 73 in Mount Laurel this past summer.
According to authorities, William Dunbar was charged with Aggravated Manslaughter (First Degree) and Vehicular Homicide (Second Degree). The charges are based upon the evidence discovered during the investigation as well as the results of toxicology tests performed on blood drawn from Dunbar following the collision.
Officials say Dunbar surrendered today at the Mount Laurel Police Department and was later lodged in the Burlington County Jail in Mount Holly. He will have a first appearance in Superior Court in the near future.
The investigation revealed that Dunbar was driving northbound on Route 73 at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour when he crashed into the rear of another vehicle traveling in the same direction near Church Road on August 19, 2018.
The driver of the vehicle that was struck, Christopher Pappas, 34, of Howell, New Jersey, was pronounced dead at the scene. The force of the impact caused his car to spin and overturn before coming to rest after striking a utility pole. Neither vehicle had passengers.
The investigation was conducted by the Mount Laurel Police Department , with assistance from the Prosecutor’s Office and New Jersey State Police. The lead investigator was Mount Laurel Police Sergeant Nicholas DiGirolamo.
All persons are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.