Wayne man who fled to Turkey after fatal Parsippany crash released from jail until trial

A Passaic County driver who authorities say struck and killed a 35-year-old pedestrian on Route 46 in Parsippany last month before he dumped the vehicle and fled to Turkey was released from jail on Monday.

Davut Batca, 31, of Wayne, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a second-degree crime, after the Aug. 19 crash in front of a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant that killed Jelson Cabrera, of Trenton.

Batca was released from the Morris County jail on conditions he remain on strict home detention, under which he can leave only for religious services and medical or legal appointments, state Superior Court Judge Robert Hanna said during a virtual detention hearing. Batca is barred from leaving the country; his passport has been surrendered to law enforcement and will not be returned to him. Attending work was not part of the conditions, attorneys said, although it was not immediately clear whether he is employed.

Prosecutors filed for Batca to remain in jail pending the resolution of his case, but Tara Wang, a Morris County senior assistant prosecutor, and Paul Di Lella, Batca's attorney, agreed to the release conditions.

Leaving evidence behind

Batca was driving his mother's 2021 Toyota RAV4 in the area of Sandra Drive on the westbound side of Route 46 when he struck Cabrera, police said. When officers arrived around 9:30 p.m., they found Cabrera unconscious and unresponsive in the roadway, said Batca's arrest affidavit, obtained by NorthJersey.com. He was transferred to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead around 10:30 p.m.

Police found car parts at the scene, including a passenger-side mirror, and through the course of an investigation, authorities "located" a photograph that had been taken shortly after and not far from the crash. The SUV in the photo, which was missing a passenger-side mirror, was registered to Batca's mother. She confirmed that her son was using the vehicle, and Batca's wife confirmed he had used the vehicle the day of the crash, police said.

Police said they found the SUV on Aug. 22 in Paterson, the report said. The vehicle had damage to the passenger side consistent with the hit-and-run, including a missing mirror, a cracked windshield with human hair, and dents throughout the vehicle, the affidavit said. Batca's New Jersey driver's license and mail addressed to him were inside the vehicle, police said.

Batca allegedly fled to Turkey in the days after the hit-and-run and was taken into custody, charged and placed in the Morristown jail on Sept. 3.

He is expected to return to court in late October.

Email: lcomstock@njherald.com ; Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH or on Facebook .

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Wayne man who fled to Turkey after fatal Parsippany crash released from jail until trial