A 23-year-old Washington Township man has been charged
with leaving the scene of a hit-and-run accident that
killed a Honduran immigrant in Morristown last Friday.
Richard S. Pontown, a 2000 graduate of West Morris
Central High School, was charged just after 4 Thursday
morning with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle
accident that resulted in death, a third-degree offense.
Pontown was released after posting bail, which was set
at $25,000.
Officials from the Morris County Prosecutor's Office
said at a Thursday afternoon news conference that two
callers on Wednesday provided information that led to
Pontown's arrest. They said one caller offered
information after reading a Daily Record article on
Wednesday; the other called the Morris County Crime
Stoppers Program.
County Prosecutor Michael M. Rubbinaccio said Pontown
was driving a light green 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee that
was involved in the crash just before 2 a.m. on Jan. 30.
The collision killed Visitacion "Chon" Cano Vasquez, who
was walking with friend and co-worker Gerber Vasquez to
their Speedwell Avenue, Morristown, apartment along
Ridgedale Avenue.
Gerber Vasquez was uninjured. Both men were cooks at
Double D's nightclub on nearby John Street in Morris
Township.
Rubbinaccio said detectives interviewed a witness who
said he and Pontown left Double D's shortly before 2
a.m. The witness told detectives that he was a passenger
in Pontown's Jeep and that Pontown hit something on
Ridgedale Avenue before they left the scene for the
Cluck-U Chicken restaurant, Rubbinaccio said.
The pair met at The Office restaurant in Morristown
before going to Double D's. It is not known how long
they spent at the bar or whether they had been drinking,
authorities said.
Another witness said he met Pontown and his friend
shortly after 2 that morning at Cluck-U Chicken in
Morristown, Rubbinaccio said.
"He said (Pontown) appeared to be upset and shaken and
told the witness he hit someone or something (with his
passenger-side mirror)," Rubbinaccio said.
Officials said they could not disclose information about
why Pontown said he left the scene.
Pontown, a high school athlete who played ice hockey and
soccer, was arrested at Washington Township police
Headquarters after he came in for questioning. Pontown
works for a stone mason.
The vehicle, which belongs to Pontown's parents and was
parked outside their Bentley Way home, was seized.
Officials said it appears that there was no attempt to
conceal damage to the car.
The Jeep has damage to its passenger-side parking and
marker lenses, a cracked headlight, dents on the front
fender and a dent in the hood about two-thirds of the
way toward the windshield, authorities said.
Rubbinaccio said the investigation is continuing to
determine whether more charges are appropriate. He said
that whether Pontown was intoxicated or was speeding has
not been determined.
"We hope this (arrest) brings some comfort to the
friends and family" of the victim, said Joseph A.
Devine, Morris County chief of investigations.
Morris Township Police Chief Michael Loughman said
Officer Carmen Piccola was on a routine patrol outside
Double D's that morning when Cano Vasquez walked by him
on his way home. Minutes later, Piccola was the first
officer on the accident scene.
"He pulled up and recognized the guy," Loughman said.
At least 50 friends and relatives gathered for a funeral
service at St. Margaret's Church in Morristown on
Wednesday night to remember Cano Vasquez as an educated
and hard-working man. His body is expected to be sent to
Honduras on Saturday.<
Carlos Vasquez, Cano Vasquez' roommate for more than a
year, said he was glad when he heard on Thursday that
police had arrested a suspect.
"People think immigrants don't count, but we do count,"
Carlos Vasquez said on Thursday. "I hope the person who
killed him pays for it and goes to prison."
Diana Mejia, executive director of Wind of the Spirit
immigrant resource center, said it was important to have
made an arrest because it sends the message that
immigrant workers play an important role in the
community.
"This brings hope to us that there's justice and we have
the same rights as other humans," Mejia said during a
phone conversation on Thursday evening.
After she found out about the arrest, Mejia said, she
notified Cano Vasquez' friends who had traveled from
Maryland and New York City for his funeral service.
Mejia added that the Morris County Prosecutor's Office
has done a great job in making an arrest.
"There's hope that we will earn more respect in the
future from people," she said.
Wind of the Spirit helped to raise almost $5,000 to pay
for the funeral services and air fare to return the
victim's remains to Honduras. Any remaining money would
go to Cano Vasquez' widow and three young sons. The
money came from community members and Cano Vasquez'
co-workers at Double D's.
Sue Cardona, Morristown Mayor John "Jay" DeLaney Jr.'s
adviser for Latino affairs, and a volunteer translator
for the Morristown Police Department, said on Thursday
that she had received a call on the morning of the
accident, shortly after 2 a.m., and expected to go to
police Headquarters to speak with Gerber Vasquez. About
15 minutes later, however, she was told that members of
the prosecutor's office would translate.
Cardona categorized Honduran immigrants as hard-working
and dedicated to their families.
"They work while there is work available because you
don't know when it's going to dry up," she said. "They
work constantly. Someone's dream was shattered."
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Pamela Garretson can be reached at
pgarretson@gannett.com
or (973) 267-8937.
