Police allege that 30-year-old Michael Tucker caused the death of a Camden City man and injuries to two other passengers in a multi-vehicle collision August 8.
By Matt Skoufalos | August 31, 2023
A Washington Township man suspected of drunk driving faces first-degree death by auto charges and two counts of assault by auto in a collision that claimed the life of a Camden City man and injured two other victims.
The incident occurred before 1 p.m. on August 8, according to information provided by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office (CCPO).
At that time, Pennsauken police and CCPO crash investigators responded to the scene of a multiple-vehicle collision in the area of Route 130 and Drexel Avenue.
Pennsauken Fire Chief Jon Hutton described the collision as a “four-car chain-reaction crash,” in which each car was rear-ended in succession on Route 130 southbound at the Drexel Avenue traffic light.
One passenger in the middle of the pile-up, 76-year-old Angel Caraballo of Camden City, was extracted by Pennsauken firefighters. Two others were injured in the collision, and all three were transported from the scene to Cooper University Hospital in Camden City.
Later that evening, Caraballo succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash.
“We’re on Route 130 every single day,” Hutton said. “It’s a nasty stretch of road. It’s a very tight, very fast, very congested stretch of highway.”
The driver of the striking vehicle, 30-year-old Michael Tucker of Washington Township, who was also transported to the hospital, was charged with three counts of assault by auto in the collision. CCPO also noted that authorities suspected him of being under the influence of alcohol or narcotics at the time of the incident.
Toxicology reports returned August 24 revealed that Tucker’s blood alcohol concentration was above the legal limit, which upgraded one count of assault by auto was to first-degree Death by Auto. He is currently being held by authorities in connection with the incident.
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact CCPO Detective Samuel Funches (856-397-4000) or Pennsauken Police Officer Charles Brewer (856-488-0080).
All persons charged with crimes are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. An arrest is not a conviction.
