Driver who killed North Bergen teens on sidewalk was high on PCP, prosecutor says

The driver charged with killing two North Bergen teens after be plowed into them on the sidewalk of a North Bergen street last Saturday was high on PCP, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said Friday.

A charge of 1st degree aggravated manslaughter was brought against Eric L. Patterson, 23, of Jersey City for the death of Bryan Rodriguez, 17, and Noel Herrera, 17, after a toxicological report came back positive for the illegal substance.

The Jersey City man initially was charged with death by auto and assault by auto after the crash Saturday night on Kennedy Boulevard.

Suarez said Patterson was driving 74 mph in a 25 mph zone when his car went over a curb and hit 17-year-old Bryan Rodriguez and 16-year-old Noel Herrera on a sidewalk in North Bergen. A third teen was injured in the crash.

NJ Advance Media reported a viewing for Herrera takes place Friday night at the Rivera Funeral Home in North Bergen from  5 to 10 p.m. The funeral will be 10 a.m. Sunday morning at St. Joseph of the Palisades Church in West New York. Rodriguez's funeral is pending the arrival of relatives from El Salvador.

Patterson is being held at the Hudson County jail.