Day: August 22, 2023

Pair Of Street Racers Sentenced For Fatal Crash

August 22, 2023

EDISON, NJ (MIDDLESEX)–Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department announced that on Thursday, August 17, 2023, Daniel Girgis, 18, of Dayton NJ, and Tyler Dickerson, 19, of Monmouth Junction, NJ, were sentenced for their involvement in a January 20, 2022, street race that resulted in a fatal crash.        

On January 20, 2022, Edison Police responded to a report of an accident on Route 1 South and Fox Road. Upon their arrival officers located two vehicles driven by Tyler Dickerson and Daniel Girgis that were involved in a high-speed race which resulted in Girgis crashing his vehicle into a vacant building, killing Diana Somarriba, 18, of South Brunswick, a passenger in his vehicle. The investigation conducted by Detective Matthew Colonna of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office and Captain Dominic Masi of the Edison Police Department revealed that Dickerson and Girgis met in Edison for a pre-arranged street race on Route 1 and during that race, Girgis lost control of his vehicle and crashed while driving in excess of 100 miles-per-hour. Girgis and another passenger, E.M., sustained minor injuries while Somarriba was killed.          

On June 20, 2022, Jurisdiction of the Family Court was waived to the criminal court where Daniel Girgis would be prosecuted as an adult. On January 13, 2023, Girgis pled guilty to second-degree Vehicular Homicide, and on March 16, 2023, Dickerson pled guilty to fourth-degree Assault-by-Auto. On August 17, 2023, Superior Court Judge Andrea G. Carter, J.S.C., sentenced Girgis to three years subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA) for the crime of second-degree Vehicular Homicide. The Judge sentenced Tyler Dickerson to 364 days in the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center as a condition of 4 years of probation for the crime of fourth-degree Assault-by-Auto.            



Police Say Missing Person Found Dead On Baldpate Mountain After Extensive Search

August 22, 2023

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP, NJ (MERCER) –Police say that on August 21, 2023 around 7:30 a.m. the Pennington Police Department received a missing person complaint. The complainant reported the missing person was last seen on Friday August 18, 2023.  Through investigative efforts, the missing person’s personal vehicle was located unoccupied in the parking lot of Baldpate Mountain. Due to the lapse of time since they were last seen, immediate search efforts were put into action.        

Multiple agencies and personnel responded to assist with the search, including those with aerial and rough terrain capabilities. Those who responded were the Mercer County Prosecutors Office, Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, West Windsor Police Department, Lawrence Township Police Department, Hamilton Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police Aviation Unit, New Jersey State Park Police, and Mercer County Park Rangers. Additionally, personnel from Hopewell Valley Emergency Services, Union Fire, Pennington Fire, Princeton Fire, West Amwell Fire, and Signal 22 assisted with the search efforts.        

Through search efforts, the victim was located and found to be deceased. Police are not releasing the victim’s information at this time. There are no signs of foul play, however the investigation is ongoing. Baldpate Mountain was closed during the police operations but is now open to the public.    

Police say both that this is a joint investigation by the Hopewell Township Police Department and Pennington Borough Police Department.