Two women were killed walking home from a World Cup watch party, then video appears to show that the driver never slowed down

An accident has been reported in New Jersey. According to the New York Post, two women were reportedly returning from a FIFA World Cup watch party. But as they were walking home, footage showed a vehicle fatally hitting the two. The driver didn’t seem to stop to aid them and reportedly drove away. In the aftermath, it appears that both of them lost their lives.

Per the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the two victims, 61-year-old Maria Isabel DeLosAngeles Salgado Ayala and 58-year-old Mariana Elizabeth Valverde Beltran, were reportedly on foot at the intersection at Park Avenue and North 7th Street in Newark. It appears that this is when the driver in a red car hit these women, and as per the footage obtained by ABC7, he apparently sent the two airborne.

According to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, 26-year-old David J. Zapata-Vera surrendered to authorities three days after the incident. Prosecutors said he was charged with two counts of second-degree leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, two counts of third-degree endangering an injured victim, and two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide. Any charges against him remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

A witness claimed the driver sped through the crosswalk

Responders from the nearby firehouse were the first to try helping the women, and it appears that both victims were taken to the University Hospital in Newark. However, neither woman survived. A witness, Manuel Candelaria, told WABC that Zapata-Vera sped through the crosswalk. He claimed, “The light was changing, this side was red, this side was yellow, I don’t know if he was drunk, but anyway he put the gas, and that’s what happens.”

The victims’ relatives also shared their heartfelt words on the fatal accident. The 58-year-old Mariana Elizabeth Valverde Beltran’s cousin told the outlet that a person has to live with such an incident for the rest of their life. His exact words were, “You have to live with this for the rest of your life. I hope the person is found, but also for that person it’s something you have to live with for the rest of your life, it’s on your conscience.”

Her cousin also mentioned his father and how he “is managing his emotions.” Per ABC7, residents in the area also shared concerns about high vehicle speeds at intersections. One of them said, “It’s very dangerous. I usually wait a few seconds even if it turns red, because they speed right through.” Per The Post, the driver is being held in Essex County Jail on no bail.