Linden man charged with vehicular homicide in Route 1 crash in Rahway

RAHWAY – A 43-year-old Linden man has been arrested and charged in a crash last year that claimed the life of an Elizabeth man .

Fuquan White was charged with one count of vehicular homicide, a second-degree crime, and one count of strict liability vehicular homicide, a third-degree crime, Rahway Police Director Nicholas Breiner and Chief Law Enforcement Officer Capt. Shawn Ganley announced.

Around 9:30 p.m. Jan. 21, 2023, Rahway police were notified of a crash and a person in the road on the Route 1 northbound bridge overpass between Randolph and East Milton avenues not far from the Woodbridge border. Arriving officers found Steven De Oliveira, 36, with fatal injuries.

The crash involved a 2016 Ford F-150 pickup truck and a 2000 Nissan Frontier. A preliminary investigation indicates the pickup truck struck the rear of the De Oliveira's Nissan. Media reports indicated De Oliveira was changing a tire at the time he was struck. His obituary states he was an auto mechanic for Service Tire Truck Center in the Avenel section of Woodbridge for more than 10 years.

White, who was present at the crash scene, was initially arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, police said.

Following a lengthy investigation by Rahway police, assisted by the Union County Prosecutor's Office, Union County Police Department, and New Jersey State Police, additional charges were filed against White who was taken into custody on Sept. 26, police said.

White is being held in the Essex County Jail while awaiting his first court appearance.

"The Rahway Police Department remains steadfast in its commitment to public safety, especially on our roadways," Breiner said. "Our officers, along with our law enforcement partners, worked diligently to ensure this investigation was conducted thoroughly and completely, with the goal of bringing closure to the victim's family."

De Oliveira was a husband and father of 1-year-old twin sons at the time of his death, according to his obituary.

"Steve’s greatest joys in life were his boys and he couldn’t wait to move them into the new home he had just bought so they could begin making memories together. He had left from fixing up that very house and was on his way home to his family when this awful tragedy struck," states the GoFundMe page that raised more than $115,000 to support his family.

Ganley praised Traffic Officer Nicholas Twerdak's hard work and diligence in bringing the case to closure.

Anyone with further information about the incident is asked to contact Twerdak at 732-827-2073.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Linden man charged with vehicular homicide in Route 1 crash in Rahway