NJ man claims he was getting a cigarette when fiery, deadly crash occurred, trooper says

Morris County authorities say a 24-year-old man who is accused of killing three people in a drunk-driving crash told police that he took his eyes off the road to get a cigarette when he rear-ended the victims' vehicle on Route 80.

In an arrest affidavit written by a state trooper at the scene of the crash, Bhavuk Uppal of Mountain Lakes told authorities he wasn't under the influence of drugs or alcohol in the deadly July 11, 2015 crash on Route 80, Morris County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Paul Merkler told NJ Advance Media. Authorities, however, say Uppal was under the influence at the time of the incident, the story states.

Uppal, who is facing three counts of aggravated manslaughter in connection with the crash that killed the family of three, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment last week and was offered a plea agreement of 36 years in prison if he pleads guilty to three counts of aggravated manslaughter.

The crash occurred around 1:30 a.m. Saturday on a stretch of Interstate 80 in Rockaway Township when Uppal's Cadillac Escalade struck a Kia that was stopped in front of him in a construction area just before 2 a.m. The Kia then hit the SUV in front of it and became engulfed in flames. The three occupants - all residents of Kentucky - were pronounced dead at the scene around 4 a.m., authorities said.

Killed in the crash were Briane Mae Anderson, 21; her fiance, Edward Russell Hitt, 24 and their 18-month-old daughter, Charlotte Reagan Hitt, all of Jeffersontown Ky. Police say Anderson was also pregnant at the time.

Toniann Antonelli is a social content producer for NJ 101.5. She can be reached at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.

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