Little Falls, NJ crash kills 2 former classmates, injures 4
LITTLE FALLS — Two men who recently attended high school together are dead and four other people are hospitalized after a crash Friday evening.
Shahriyar Ahmed, 19, was pronounced dead at the scene while Shakeel Ali, 19, was pronounced dead soon after at a local hospital, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office. The victims, both from Paterson, had graduated from Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne in 2021, according to their LinkedIn pages.
Officials said the crash took place around 10:40 p.m. at the intersection of Woodhull Road and Route 23.
Ahmed, Ali, and three unidentified passengers were in a black Mercedes C300 when they were struck by a white Jeep Grand Cherokee, prosecutors said.
The driver of the Jeep has been identified as Jason Zaitoun, 18, of Wayne. Zaitoun, who was hospitalized, also attended Passaic County Tech, the Daily Voice reported.
CBS 2 New York reported that the Mercedes ended up on the front lawn of a nearby funeral home. Both vehicles sustained heavy damage.
The three unnamed passengers of the Mercedes were also hospitalized at Saint Joseph’s University Medical Center.
Prosecutors said they would release more information as it became available. New Jersey 101.5 has reached out to the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office for any updates.
Rick Rickman is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at richard.rickman@townsquaremedia.com
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