Date Published: 2023/06/26
BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A 19-year-old man from Garfield died early Saturday after a single-car accident in Ridgefield that left his passenger seriously injured, reports Daily Voice.
Ridgefield Police said the fatal wreck occurred in the area of Broad Avenue and Grand Avenue at around 12:00 a.m.
A preliminary investigation shows the young man, Yusuf Bakmaz, was driving a white 2002 Ford Mustang northbound on Broad Avenue when he missed the slight-left turn split to Grand Avenue. Moments later, the car traveled over the island, sideswiped another vehicle, and then veered into Karden, a new restaurant that opened in April.
Officials pronounced the teen driver deceased at the scene. He has since been identified as a sophomore computer science major at Montclair State University.
His girlfriend, who was a passenger in the car, suffered serious injuries. She was rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center’s trauma unit.
No one in the clipped vehicle was reported injured.
Multiple area agencies responded to the scene during the emergency response. and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Fatal Accident Investigations Unit was alerted.
An investigation remains underway. At this time, toxicology reports are pending, but witnesses told responding officers the vehicle was speeding at the time of the wreck.
Written by: Brach Eichler Injury Lawyers