A 23-year-old New Jersey man has been charged after Delaware State Police say he left the scene of a crash that killed two 17-year-old pedestrians early Saturday morning in Townsend.
The crash occurred on June 20, 2026, at approximately 1:10 a.m. on southbound Dupont Parkway south of Denny Lynn Drive. According to investigators, a 17-year-old male and a 17-year-old female, both from Townsend, were walking an electric bike in or near the left lane of southbound Dupont Parkway when they were struck by a southbound Nissan Altima.
Delaware State Police said the driver initially stopped following the collision but then continued southbound, leaving the scene. Troopers later located the Nissan traveling southbound on Dupont Parkway near Paddock Road in Smyrna and conducted a traffic stop. The driver was identified as Nizaiah Ellis, 23, of Newfield, New Jersey. Investigators observed damage to the vehicle that was consistent with the collision and took Ellis into custody without incident.
The two teenagers were pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities have not been released pending notification of their families.
The roadway remained closed for approximately four hours while members of the Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit investigated the crash and cleared the scene.
Ellis was charged with two counts of Leaving the Scene of a Collision Resulting in Death, a felony, and one count of Failure to Report a Collision Resulting in Death. He was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court and committed to the Delaware Department of Correction on a $12,050 secured bond.
