Ambulance Attendant Dies in Newark Crash

Four vehicles were involved in the crash, including an ambulance, a minivan, a small truck and a small bus

Prosecutors have charged an Elizabeth, N.J. man in connection with the multi-vehicle crash in Newark that killed an ambulance attendant Monday.

James A. Sterling, 29, was charged with aggravated manslaughter, eluding, aggravated assault, driving with a suspended license and causing death, and causing bodily injuries while suspended, according to authorities.

Prosecutors say the crash at the intersection of South Orange Avenue and South 9th Street involved an ambulance, a Chrysler Pacifica, a food truck and a county transportation bus at the intersection of South Orange Avenue and South 9th Streets. The impact was so severe the ambulance was knocked on its side.

Sterling was behind the wheel of the Pacifica, prosecutors said.

Four people were transported to the hospital, including the 30-year-old ambulance attendant; the 26-year-old driver of the ambulance, who is from West Orange; a 57-year-old female patient inside the ambulance; and the 34-year-old Bloomfield man driving the food truck.

The attendant, 30-year-old Keith Chipepo of Montclair, was pronounced dead at University Hospital in Newark after the crash. The other three remain hospitalized.

A fourth person, the driver of the county bus, declined treatment at the scene. 

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