A speeding vehicle crashed into a garbage truck in Union City, New Jersey, early Thursday morning, killing the 33-year-old driver of the sedan, authorities say.
Winston Reyes was driving his black Honda Accord southbound on Kennedy Boulevard when he crashed into a stopped garbage truck at 13th Street at about 2 a.m., prosecutors say. Police officers say they saw the car traveling at a "high rate of speed."
The impact into the the truck, which weighs roughly 18 tons when empty, was so forceful that a speaker was knocked from the smaller vehicle and crashed into the plateglass window of a furniture store. The Honda then slid into a parked van and caught fire.
Reyes was pronounced dead on the scene. His passenger was hospitalized in serious condition.
Four of the workers in the garbage truck were taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
His family was in mourning Thursday. Reyes, who was born in the Dominican Republic, lived in Jersey City and has a 13-year-old daughter.
His cousin Maria Ciriaco told NBC 4 New York, "He was always happy, always goofy, that's what he's known for. Joking around, being silly, the life of the party."
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Authorities are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Hudson County prosecutor's office.
