Victim of South Orange fatal motor vehicle crash identified

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and South Orange Police Chief Kyle Kroll announced June 16 that the victim in a June 15 fatal pedestrian incident has been identified as William E. Owens, 65, of South Orange.

On Thursday, June 15, at approximately 3:15 p.m., South Orange police officers responded to the Mountain Train Station overpass on a report of a pedestrian being struck by a vehicle that had been traveling on West Montrose Avenue.

When they arrived at the scene officers discovered that Owens had been struck by a 2012 Nissan Versa driven by a 55-year-old woman. According to police, the vehicle appeared to have exited the roadway at the crest of the hill and upon doing so struck Owens, who had been walking on the sidewalk.

Owens was transported to University Hospital in Newark where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The driver of the Nissan remained at the scene. At this time, no charges have been filed against her.

The investigation, which is being conducted by the South Orange Police Department in conjunction with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, is active and ongoing. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

3 Responses to "Victim of South Orange fatal motor vehicle crash identified"

  1. Hector Mercadal   June 20, 2017 at 12:16 am

    Bill Owens was a dear friend of mine and my family, I hadn’t being able to contact anyone regarding his where about’s can someone help us and let us know what actually happen and where he is he at right now, The tel numbers that I had can’t be reached, Please can someone HELP US
    IT WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED
    THANK YOU IN ADVANCED FOR YOUR COOPERATION ??

  2. Editor   June 21, 2017 at 2:34 pm

    Hi Hector. While I’m not entirely sure whom you can contact for help, I believe the South Orange Police Department would be able to help. You can contact them at 973-763-3000.

  3. maria   July 14, 2017 at 6:12 pm

    i heard the person who killed Bill was texting. There should be charges for this crime as the persons was driving so very fast while not keeping her eyes on the road that she killed someone (across the street from a preschool) and that she took down a pole in the same impact. Just tragic. If it was at a time where many people were exiting the train there could have been more damage. For starters, revoked license.