An Essex County Superior Court judge increased the bail amount for a Rahway NJ woman accused of texting before a crash on Routes 1 and 9.
When increasing 35-year-old Jennifer Sahoye’s bail from $50,000.00 to $75,000.00, the judge cited Ms. Sahoye’s history of bad driving and more than a dozen missed court appearances. Since 1998, Ms. Sahoye has missed 13 municipal court appearances. The judge noted that Ms. Sahoye’s state driving record includes a lengthy abstract totaling 17 pages. According to NJ Motor Vehicle Commission records, since 1996 Ms. Sahoye has racked up 35 moving violations and 65 license suspensions.
Recently, Ms. Sahoye became the first person in Essex County to be charged with vehicular homicide while texting.
On October 10, 58-year-old Elizabeth NJ resident Carlos Carvalho was killed when Ms. Sahoye’s Volvo sedan allegedly crossed several southbound express lanes on Routes 1 and 9 near the Route 78 interchange and sideswiped Mr. Carvalho’s pickup truck. At the time, Mr. Carvalho was headed home from work.
According to Ms. Sahoye’s defense attorney, Ms. Sahoye is disputing prosecutors’ claim that she was texting just before the crash. However, prosecutors have revealed that Ms. Sahoye’s cell phone records allegedly indicate that she was sending and receiving text messages moments before the accident. Additionally, prosecutors say, a witness called 911 to report the accident at roughly the same time that the texting happened.
If convicted of vehicular homicide, Ms. Sahoye faces up to ten (10) years in New Jersey State Prison.
For more information about this case, read the NJ.com article entitled “Essex Co. Judge Increases Bail for Rahway Woman Accused of Texting Before Fatal Crash.”
