Bergen County man charged in connection with Elizabeth marine terminal worker’s death

Two weeks after an Elizabeth marine terminal worker's death, the Union County Prosecutor's office have charged a Bergen County man in connection with the incident. Investigators say the suspect's blood alcohol level was above the legal limit at the time.

Acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Monday that Victor Belo, 48, of North Arlington, has been charged with a single count of second-degree death following the death of 49-year-old Judy Jones of Newark.

"On the afternoon of Friday, August 7, 2015, emergency medical personnel and members of the Port Authority Police Department responded to the APM terminal in Elizabeth to find Jones, who had been struck by a top loader, suffering severe injuries," the Prosecutor's Office said in a press release Monday.

Jones succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Park said the investigation was conducted by Port Authority Police Department Detective Robert Caron along with members of the Union County Homicide Task Force. Law enforcement officials determined that "Belo allegedly struck Jones with a top loader he had been driving while his blood-alcohol level was over the legal limit of 0.08 percent."

Belo turned himself in to police on Monday. He was transported to Union County Jail on $75,000 bail set by state Superior Court Judge Robert J. Mega. He is scheduled for his first appearance in court within the next few days, according to officials.

"Convictions on second-degree criminal charges can result in sentences of 5 to 10 years in state prison," the press release stated.