Newark Man Charged In October 2022, Elizabeth Pedestrian Fatal Crash
Friday, December 12, 2025, 4:00 P.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
ELIZABETH, NJ.- Earlier this month, a 27-year-old Newark, New Jersey, man wanted in connection with fatally running down a man during the early morning hours of October 8, 2022, in the City of Elizabeth, and who fled following the collision, was apprehended in the Dominican Republic and has been returned to New Jersey to face charges.
According to Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel, Trevon Smith, 27, of Newark, New Jersey, was formally charged with first-degree Aggravated Manslaughter; second-degree Leaving the Scene of an Accident Resulting in Death; and third-degree Hindering Prosecution.
The charges stem from an investigation that began on October 8, 2022, when, just shortly after 2:45 a.m., members of the Elizabeth Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting a man being struck by a motor vehicle at the intersection of Newark Avenue and Durant Street in the City of Elizabeth. Upon arrival, Police Officers found the man, identified as Adi Taipe-Castillo, 30, of Roselle, New Jersey, having succumbed to injuries consistent with being struck by a vehicle. Mr. Taipe-Castillo was pronounced deceased at the scene.
   During the ensuing investigation, Detectives of the Union County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force and the Elizabeth Police Department identified Smith as the driver of the vehicle that struck and killed Mr. Taipe-Castillo and then fled the scene. Detectives determined that shortly after the fatal collision, Smith fled the country.
On December 1, 2025, Smith was located and taken into custody in the Dominican Republic. He was extradited back to the United States and has been lodged in the Essex County Correctional Facility, pending future court proceedings in Union County Superior Court in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”
