Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the arrest of WHIGMER J. VILLANUEVA, 56, of Harrison, NY for assault by auto as a result of a motor vehicle crash which occurred in Paramus, NJ. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit under the direction of Acting Chief Matthew Finck and the Paramus Police Department under the direction of Chief Robert M. Guidetti.
On Saturday, March 23, 2024, at approximately 2:28 a.m., the Paramus Police Department responded to Route 4 West, near the intersection with Paramus Road, for a report of a motor vehicle crash that involved two vehicles. An investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit and the Paramus Police Department revealed that a 2008 Toyota operated by VILLANUEVA was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of Route 4 and collided head-on with another vehicle. As a result of the collision, five victims were transported to area hospitals with various degrees of injuries, including one victim with serious injuries.
As a result of the investigation, WHIGMER VILLANUEVA was charged with third-degree assault by auto, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(c); and four counts of fourth-degree assault by auto, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(c); along with several motor vehicle summonses. VILLANUEVA is scheduled for a first appearance in Central Judicial Processing Court in Hackensack, NJ on Friday, April 12, 2024.
Prosecutor Musella states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and he would like to thank the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office for its assistance in this investigation, along with the Mahwah and Paramus Police Departments, which both participate in the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit Task Force.
