A Jersey City man charged with driving at 74 mph while high on PCP when his vehicle struck and killed two boys in North Bergen in March was in court for a status hearing this morning as his time for his trial winds down.
JERSEY CITY -- A Jersey City man accused of being high on PCP when he allegedly struck and killed two boys with his car in North Bergen in March was back in court today for a status hearing.
Eric Patterson, 23, was charged with two counts of death by auto and one count of assault by auto causing serious bodily injury following the deaths of Bryan Rodriguez, 17, and Noel Herrera, 16. He was charged with assault by auto regarding a then 17-year-old, Manuel Sanchez of Union City, who suffered blunt force trauma and fractures, an official said.
At today's hearing, defense attorney Sara Selig-Walsh said she is pursuing an additional investigation and would require two months to complete it. Hudson County Superior Court Judge John Young set a tentative date of Jan. 23 for the next pretrial hearing in the matter.
Meanwhile, Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Leo Hernandez noted that he will most likely seek to enter as evidence statements made by Patterson at the hospital following the crash. He also said he has obtained the medical record of the surviving victim.
Several days after the fatal collision, the charges in the two deaths were elevated to aggravated manslaughter when toxicology tests revealed Patterson was high on PCP at the time of the March 5 incident.
Investigators say Patterson was heading north on Kennedy Boulevard at 74 miles per hour -- nearly three times the speed limit. As he went around cars stopped at a red light, he veered into the southbound lanes and struck the three victims, authorities said.
Patterson was also cited for speeding, reckless driving and driving with a suspended license, an official said. He appeared at today's hearing with his hands cuffed and wearing the green garb of the Hudson County jail in Kearny. He said nothing.
Rodriguez was a freshman at Union City High School and Herrera attended school in Cliffside Park but attended elementary and middle school in Union City. Family members of at least one of the victims were in court for today's hearing but opted not to comment.
Patterson is currently being held on a $2 million bail.