A North Arlington man was drunk when he struck and killed a fellow dockworker this month while they were working at a shipping terminal in Elizabeth.
Victor Belo, 48, faces charges of death by auto and DWI, said Joe Pentangelo, a spokesman for the Port Authority Police.
Victor Belo
Judy Jones, 49, of Newark, was struck and killed just after 1 p.m., on Aug. 7, while working at the APM Port Elizabeth terminal along Newark Bay.
Belo was driving a top loader, used to move shipping containers around the docks.
RELATED: Dockworker had been drinking prior to fatal port accident, sources say
Jones and Belo were both members of the International Longshoremen's Association union, though from separate locals.
The acting Union County prosecutor, Grace Park, issued a statement saying Belo's blood-alcohol level was above the legal limit of .08, though she did not say what his level was. Park said a conviction on the charge of death by auto, a second degree crime, carries a penalty of 5 to 10 years in prison.
Belo's lawyer, Anthony Iacullo, said his client turned himself in this morning at the Union County Prosecutor's office, and was later freed after posting 10 percent of $75,000 bail in cash, set by Superior Court Judge Robert J. Mega. Iacullo said his client is due in court on Aug. 31, when he planned to plead not guilty.
"We look forward to receiving the reports in this matter so that we can prepare our defense," Iacullo said.
Apart the criminal investigation, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is looking into whether workplace safety requirements had been met by the company.
Jones was the second woman killed working on local docks in less than four years. Earline Brundage, 47, of Phillipsburg, died in February 2012 after being pinned between two shipping containers at the Port Newark Container Terminal.
Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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