A Denville NJ man faces aggravated manslaughter charges in connection with the death of his friend in an Elmwood Park NJ auto accident.

According to Bergen County sheriff’s records, the 53-year-old suspect was a passenger in a 1996 Oldsmobile Ciera that was being driven by the suspect’s 61-year-old friend. The car was on Route 80 near milepost 61.6 when it hit a guardrail and wrecked.

The driver, who hailed from Denville NJ, died in the car accident.

New Jersey State Police investigated the crash and determined that the accident stemmed from an argument between the suspect and the victim. However, police have not yet specified precisely what caused the auto accident.

Sometime after the fatal crash, the suspect was placed under arrest and charged with aggravated manslaughter.

After being arrested and charged, the suspect was transported to the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack, New Jersey. He is being held at the correctional facility in lieu of $500,000 bail.

The suspect recently appeared in Bergen County Superior Court, located in Hackensack, where he entered a not guilty plea. The case is now set to go to a Bergen County grand jury. If the grand jury indicts the suspect, the case will be scheduled for trial.

A conviction on aggravated manslaughter charges could result in significant criminal penalties. That’s because N.J.S.A. 2C:11-4 classifies aggravated manslaughter as a first degree felony. As a result, a conviction would likely lead to a minimum sentence of at least 10 years in New Jersey State Prison.

For further information about this case, view the NJ.com article entitled “Denville Man Charged in Route 80 Death of Friend, Authorities Say.”