Adult Let Teen Boy Drive Car On Bergen County Highway, Killing 1: Prosecutor

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — A 21-year-old man from Elmira, N.Y. was charged in connection with a fatal accident in Bergen County in late February in which a teen passenger died and another was arrested, prosecutors said.

Ryan Chambers, 21, of Elmira, was charged earlier this month with four counts of endangering the welfare of a minor, said the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office on Thursday.

Shortly before 6 a.m. on Feb. 28, a Nissan Rogue being driven on the Palisades Parkway in Alpine — near the New York State line — crashed with another vehicle, killing a 16-year-old passenger in the Nissan.

A 15-year-old unlicensed driver was later charged with vehicular homicide in the crash, which also injured three other passengers, prosecutors said. READ MORE: Teen Boy Was Victim In Fatal Bergen County Crash Near NY Border: Prosecutor

The driver of the Honda was not injured.

An investigation determined that the teen driver "was operating recklessly and at a high rate of speed, losing control of the vehicle." He was ultimately charged with vehicular homicide.

Investigators later determined that Chambers "had assumed responsibility for the care of the four juveniles in his company," they said Thursday. "Furthermore, at the time of the crash, Chambers allowed the aforementioned unlicensed 15-year-old juvenile to operate the vehicle."

Extradited To NJ

On July 1, Chambers was found with the assistance of the Village of Elmira Heights Police Department.

Wednesday, he was extradited to Bergen County with the assistance of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office.

Chambers remains in the the Bergen County Jail to await a detention hearing in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack.

The 15-year-old driver was released to home confinement in the custody of a parent or guardian to await further action by Bergen County Superior Court Family Law Division, prosecutors said.