Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced that a 26-year-old Nutley man has been indicted for causing the death of another motorist during a collision last summer on Route 73 in Mount Laurel.
A Burlington County Grand Jury indicted William Dunbar on charges of Aggravated Manslaughter (First Degree) and Vehicular Homicide (Second Degree). The indictment was returned on April 16 and signed by Prosecutor Coffina. An arraignment will be scheduled soon in Superior Court.
The investigation revealed that Dunbar was driving northbound on Route 73 at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour when he crashed into the rear of another vehicle traveling in the same direction near Church Road on August 19, 2018.
The driver of the vehicle that was struck, Christopher Pappas, 34, of Howell, New Jersey, was pronounced dead at the scene. The force of the impact caused his car to overturn and strike a utility pole before coming to rest. Neither vehicle had passengers.
The criminal charges against Dunbar were filed after the Prosecutor’s Office received the results of toxicology tests performed on blood drawn from him following the collision.
Dunbar is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Thaddeus Drummond, supervisor of the BCPO Collision and Accident Reconstruction Unit.
The investigation was conducted by the Mount Laurel Police Department, with assistance from the Prosecutor’s Office and New Jersey State Police. The lead investigator was Mount Laurel Police Sergeant Nicholas DiGirolamo.
An indictment is merely an accusation. Defendants are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.