Chatham driver charged In deadly pedestrian crash

🚔 A Chatham Township man is charged in a pickup truck crash that killed a pedestrian

🚶‍♀️ The 54-year-old woman was walking along Fairmount Avenue when she was struck.

⚖️ Prosecutors say the 29-year-old driver has been granted pretrial release.

A 29-year-old Morris County man has been accused of killing a female pedestrian on the shoulder of a road.

Matthew Vining, of Chatham Township, has been charged with second-degree reckless vehicular homicide for the deadly crash in Chatham Borough last month.

On Jan. 2, just after noon, police and first responders were called to Fairmount Avenue.

Chatham driver charged after pedestrian killed by pickup (Google Maps)

Investigators: A pickup truck hit a woman walking along the shoulder

A white 2018 Ford F-150 had been headed south on Fairmont Avenue when it struck a 54-year-old woman walking along the shoulder, according to an affidavit filed by investigators.

Police found Vining holding the pedestrian, who was unresponsive and semi-conscious, in a nearby front yard, the same affidavit said.

Victim dies from head and spine injuries

The victim had suffered head and spine injuries and was pronounced dead at the hospital on Jan. 7.

Her name and identity were not publicly released, only her initials “P.B.” in the affidavit.

Vining acknowledged to police that he had been driving the pickup — he said that his windshield was fogged up and he did not see the pedestrian along the road.

In addition to reckless vehicular homicide, he was also facing “a number of motor vehicle offenses,” Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll said.

Driver granted pretrial release, investigation continues

On Thursday, Vining was granted pre-trial release, with the conditions that he surrender his passport, sign a waiver of extradition and have no contact with victims.

He was not scheduled for a pre-indictment conference on March 23.

“While nothing can undo the loss suffered by the victim’s family and our community, we remain committed to thoroughly investigating all serious motor vehicle crashes and, when the evidence supports allegations of distracted or reckless driving, holding unsafe drivers accountable for their actions.” Chatham Borough Police Chief Brian Gibbons said.

Anyone with potential information related to this investigation was encouraged to call the Major Crimes Unit of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at 973-285-6200.