On August 3, 2024, at about 5:08 am, Newark Police responded to Rittenhouse Park, 228 West Chestnut Hill Road, for a report of people arguing. Upon arrival, officers located a Ford F-150 pick-up truck which had struck a tree in the park.
Officers found a female seated in the rear seat of the vehicle. She was found to have suffered fatal injuries from the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver fled the scene prior to police arrival.
The Newark Police Department’s Traffic Unit responded to the scene and assumed the investigation. Preliminary investigation determined that the vehicle was exiting the park at an apparent high rate of speed when, for unknown reasons, the vehicle left the gravel roadway and struck a tree police said.
The identity of the passenger is being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin.
Rittenhouse Park has been closed to vehicular traffic due to the investigation and is anticipated to remain closed to vehicular traffic until Monday August 5, 2024. The park remains open to pedestrian traffic.