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(NJ) Paterson tow truck driver struck, killed on Route 19 while helping disabled vehicle

Towing & Recovery

A tow truck driver was killed Sunday just before 11 a.m. on Route 19 in Paterson near the Valley Road exit, law enforcement authorities reported.

The 64-year-old driver, a Paterson resident, had pulled over on the southbound lanes to load a disabled vehicle onto his truck, said Rob Rowan of the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, who has been serving as a spokesman for the Paterson Police Department. The tow truck driver was then struck by another motorist.

The vehicle that struck the driver flipped over. The driver of that vehicle was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center with injuries. The tow truck driver was pronounced deceased at the scene, Rowan said.

His identity is being withheld pending family notification. The incident is under investigation by the Paterson Police Department Traffic Unit.


Authorities identify tow truck driver struck and killed on Route 19 in Paterson
Story by Amanda Wallace, NorthJersey.com

Authorities have identified the tow truck driver who was killed Sunday morning on Route 19 in Paterson near the Valley Road exit.

Just before 11 a.m. on Sunday, the tow truck driver, Manuel Perez, 64, of Paterson, pulled over on the southbound lanes of Route 19 to load a disabled vehicle onto his truck, said Rob Rowan of the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, who has been serving as a spokesperson for the Paterson Police Department.

Perez was then struck by another driver whose vehicle flipped over. That motorist was taken to St. Joseph's University Medical Center with injuries. Perez was pronounced dead at the scene, Rowan said.

The incident is under investigation by the Paterson Police Department Traffic Unit.