New Jersey: Crossing guard killed by pickup truck at Trenton intersection
TRENTON— The driver who fatally struck a crossing guard on Route 129 in Trenton Monday afternoon had a suspended license, authorities said.Duane Bennett was charged with causing death while driving with a suspended license. Duane Bennett, 42, of Upper Freehold, was driving in the northbound lanes when he struck and killed 56-year-old Antonio Wiley at the intersection of Route 129 and Lalor Street, police Lt. James Slack said.
Bennett was charged with causing death while driving with a suspended license. It was not immediately known why Bennett's license was suspended or whether Wiley was helping someone cross the highway at the time of the 3:15 p.m. crash, Slack said.
The crash remains under investigation by Trenton police and the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.
Assemblywoman Liz Muoio (D-Mercer), in response to the crash, is calling on the state Department of Transportation to take immediate action to improve the safety of Route 129.
"It is a common perception in the South Trenton area that these are dangerous, ill-conceived intersections plagued by speeding drivers and traffic congestion, all of which is exacerbated by the River Line which runs parallel to Rt. 129," she wrote in a letter to acting Commissioner Richard Hammer. "It is important to note that Rt. 129 cuts through established neighborhoods which existed prior to the road's most recent design in 1993."
She said the Lalor and Hamilton Avenue intersections are often used by pedestrians, including seniors, students and visitors to the Sun National Bank Center arena.
Muoio requested that the department forwards all crash data for the road for the past 10 years to her office and convene a public meeting in the South Ward to discuss concerns and possible solutions.
"We need to do more to ensure the safety of Trentonians as well as those visiting the city," she said.
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