NJ driver charged with manslaughter in crash that killed prominent Newark figure

🚨 Union County man charged in crash that killed former NJ assemblyman

💔 Victim died of heart attack following high-speed collision in Newark

🏛️ Former lawmaker remembered as key figure in Portuguese community

NEWARK — A 27-year-old Union County man has been charged with killing a prominent city figure and former lawmaker in a car crash on Sunday.

John M. Arango-Taborda, of Elizabeth, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree vehicular homicide of Alberto Coutinho.

Former lawmaker died after collision on Route 21

The 56-year-old Coutinho, a Newark resident, suffered a heart attack at the scene of the crash, according to multiple reports, including NJ.com. He died at nearby University Hospital.

Investigators said Arango-Taborda was speeding when he crashed into Coutinho’s vehicle around 7:30 a.m. at the intersection of McCarter Highway (Route 21) and South Street.

He was also injured in the crash, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II said.

Community remembers ‘pillar’ of Newark and Portuguese culture

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka remembered Coutinho as a “central pillar of our Portuguese community, the Ironbound, and the city at large."

Coutinho served as a Democratic assemblyman in the 29th Legislative District for more than five years.

He was the first Portuguese American to serve in the Legislature, first from May 1997 to January 1998 and then again from January 2008 to September 2013.

Complicated legacy included conviction and later pardon

Coutinho resigned from office after taking a plea deal for stealing funds from his family’s charitable foundation and filing false financial disclosure forms. He was then sentenced to three years' probation.

Before leaving office in January, Gov. Phil Murphy pardoned Coutinho after the former lawmaker had applied for the consideration online.

Coutinho said to Politico that he was “honored and humbled the governor decided to issue a pardon for something that happened 12 years ago.”

The report said Coutinho had gathered letters of support, and had remained very involved with the Salvation Army and groups focused on homelessness and youth soccer.

Coutinho was inducted into the New Jersey Soccer Association’s Hall of Fame in 2021 for his efforts in increasing access to elite soccer across the state.

Professionally, he was a crucial part of his family’s business, Coutinho’s Bakery, which began with a location in 1973 and expanded to several across North Jersey, before ultimately shutting down in 2008.

“Having started in the office and the bakery floor from the age of 8, Albert possessed a great deal of knowledge and experience in a business that became a hub in the region for food, culture, and opportunity,” according to his obituary.

The city’s annual Portuguese Day Festival was established by the Coutinho family.

“Surely, the upcoming Portuguese Festival, and FIFA games will not be the same without this beloved community giant,” Baraka said.

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