NJ Teen Killed In Drunk Hit-And-Run Memorial Day Weekend: PD

OLD BRIDGE, NJ — An Old Bridge teenager who was studying at MIT was killed in a drunk hit-and-run over Memorial Day Weekend, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew C. Carey said.

Aliza Akhtar,19, of Old Bridge, was pronounced dead at a local hospital on May 25 following the hit-and-run, Carey said. Aliaksandr Tsytsenia, 28, of Old Bridge, faces several charges, including vehicular homicide, for hitting Akhtar's car while drunk and then trying to flee the scene, Carey said.

The crash happened just before midnight on Texas Road, near Route 9, Carey said. Tsytsenia was driving a Mercedes S550 when he crossed a double yellow line, hitting Akhtar's car head-on, Carey said. Both Akhtar and her passenger, a 15-year-old girl, were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital; the passenger was treated for her injuries and survived.

Tsytsenia attempted to walk away following the crash, but was taken by police to a local hospital, Carey said. In addition to vehicular homicide, he has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident in the second degree, assault by auto in the fourth degree, and driving while intoxicated.

Akhtar has just wrapped up her freshman year at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where she was studying on a full scholarship, Tribune reported. She was an active member of her Muslin-Pakistani community. A full obituary was not immediately available.