32-Year-Old Ismail Iqbal Killed By Alleged Drunken Driver In Montville Crash
MORRISTOWN – On Monday, the woman who killed 32-year-old Ismail Iqbal while driving under the influence of alcohol was released from prison under the deal that she will only get behind the wheel to go to work and to her son’s school.
Facts of the Case
The accident in which Iqbal lost his life happened on Friday on Route 80 in Montville. The timing of the accident was 6:57 p.m. He was the father of 2 kids and the woman who hit her also has 2 children.
Friends and relatives of the dead were present in Superior Court for the hearing of the case.
Victims’ Statements
Iqbal’s aunt, Huma Aslam, said before the judge, “He was the backbone of the family. He touched thousands of hearts.”
She also told the judge that he left 2 daughters behind and both are under the age of 6 years. His mother is in shock and she hasn’t slept since she came to know that her son is no more in this world.
Iqbal’s sister told me that he had been fasting along with family members over the Ramadan religious holiday when he was struck and thrown from his motorcycle.
His brother also said something about Iqbal, “I just want to say pray for my brother. Everyone in America, please pray for my brother who passed away.”
Iqbal was the proprietor of several dollars or discount stores in Jersey City and Paterson.
Police Documents
According to State police, the driver behind the wheel of the Nissan Rogue was 42-year-old Michelle Perez who was driving impaired while going westbound. She hit Iqbal’s motorbike as he was going west on Route 80 in Montville.
He sustained life-threatening injuries for which he was rushed to St. Clare’s Hospital in Denville where he was pronounced dead.
On Saturday, Perez was charged for:
- DWI
- Death-by-auto
Court Intentions
In the courtroom, Morris County Chief Assistant Prosecutor, Matthew Troiano, said to the judge that his office would not seek to detain Perez while charges are pending.
Perez was present for the hearing via a closed-circuit television link between the courtroom and county jail.
Pending
The offender was released from jail under the deal that she will undergo drug and alcohol evaluation and will follow any recommendations ordered by the judge. She was only permitted to get behind the wheel to go to her job and to pick or drop her son from school.
Monetary bail will not be utilized under the state’s new criminal justice reform mandates that were implemented from the 1st of January. Instead, a public safety assessment measure based upon an algorithm is conducted that gives a score to show the possibility for a defendant, who is released prior to trial, to get involved in a new crime or fails to appear for a future court appearance.
The offender in this DWI case has no criminal history. This was the first time she was charged for driving while intoxicated, so she had a score that presented that she was a good candidate for pretrial release from jail.
Perez is summoned to court on the 10th of July.
News Source: https://www.dailyrecord.com/