Man Charged 1 Year After NY Crash That Killed North Jersey Marine: PD

CLIFTON, NJ — New York State Police have charged a North Jersey man with manslaughter after a fatal crash last year on the Palisades Parkway that killed a young Marine, also from New Jersey.

Cyrus Silverio, of Clifton, was declared dead at the scene of the three-vehicle crash around 10 p.m. on April 13, 2023, and New York State Police have charged an Irvington man in his death.

Police said Silverio, 20, was southbound on the parkway in a 1992 BMW, and fellow driver Valentino Merceda, also 20, was " also traveling south at a high rate of speed" in a 2001 BMW.

Officials said both drivers attempted to pass a Nissan Rogue and merge into the right lane, causing the crash. Silverio's car overturned and struck the Nissan near the Clarkstown exit, then hit a bridge structure.

New York State Police arrested Merceda on April 13, 2024 and charged him with second-degree manslaughter. He was taken to the Rockland County Jail and given a $5,000 cash bail, or $20,000 secured bond.

Silverio was a Private First Class with the U.S. Marine Corps and stationed at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst with Marine Aircraft Group 49, according to his obituary with Shook Funeral Home.

He was a resident of Clifton most of his life and a 2021 graduate of the high school, as well as a parishioner of St. Clare's Church, the obituary stated. Silverio was born in Jersey City, and he also lived in Union City for a time. He was survived by his mother and father, brother, three grandparents, and an aunt and uncle.