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2005
Media Releases:
CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE
VINCENT P. SARUBBI, CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR
MEDIA INFORMATION
April 26, 2005
Camden County Prosecutor Vincent P. Sarubbi and Camden Police Chief
Edwin J. Figueroa reported that a 17-year-old female driver was charged
tonight with Aggravated Manslaughter and related offenses in connection
with an alleged hit-and-run collision this morning that resulted in
the death of a female pedestrian.
The name of the juvenile, a Camden resident, is being withheld because
of her age. The victim has been identified as Laura Billardo, 23,
formerly of Woodbury. She had been staying in Camden at an unknown
address, preliminary investigation indicates.
Sarubbi and Figueroa gave the following account, based on preliminary
investigation:
At approximately 10:44 a.m., Camden Police were called to the vicinity
of South 6th & Royden streets to investigate the report of a hit-and-run
traffic incident involving an automobile and a pedestrian. On arrival,
officers discovered the victim in the area of 6th and Berkley streets.
She had suffered extensive trauma consistent with having been struck
and dragged by a motor vehicle. The victim was rushed to Cooper University
Hospital, where she died at approximately 2:35 p.m.
Initial investigation indicates the victim stepped into the roadway
and the juvenile was unable to stop her Mazda Protege in time to avoid
striking her. After the initial impact, the driver stopped the car.
The victim fell to the street in front of the vehicle, but was conscious
and apparently attempted to get to her feet. The juvenile then allegedly
backed up the vehicle and attempted to make a hard right turn to drive
around the victim and flee the scene. As the juvenile started the
vehicle forward, she again struck the victim, who became lodged under
the vehicle and was dragged for several hundred feet.
In addition to Aggravated Manslaughter, the juvenile is charged with
Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Motor Vehicle Accident and Endangering
the Welfare of an Injured Victim. She faces up to four years in a
juvenile facility if adjudicated delinquent in Family Court.
No decision has been made as to whether to seek waiver to adult court.
Under New Jersey law, the State has 30 days to file a waiver motion.
The juvenile is expected to be lodged in the Camden County Youth Detention
Center in Blackwood pending a detention hearing expected to be scheduled
Wednesday morning in Family Court in Camden. Media admission to juvenile
proceedings is at the judge’s discretion.
All persons charged with criminal offenses are presumed innocent unless
and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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