A New Jersey man faces criminal charges after allegedly striking and killing two teenage pedestrians in Townsend, Delaware, over the weekend.
Delaware State Police say Nizaiah Ellis, of Newfield, Gloucester County, was driving southbound on Dupont Parkway around 1:10 a.m. Saturday when two teens were walking an electric bike in or near the left southbound lane near Denny Lynn Drive. Ellis struck both pedestrians at that location, according to state police.
Investigators say he stopped after the collision, then drove away southbound, leaving the scene.
Officers later spotted Ellis traveling southbound on Dupont Parkway near Paddock Road in Smyrna and pulled him over. Troopers observed damage to his Nissan Altima consistent with the crash and took him into custody.
Both pedestrians — a 17-year-old male and a 17-year-old female from Townsend, Delaware — were pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities are withholding their names until families have been notified.
Ellis faces charges of leaving the scene of a collision resulting in death and failure to report a collision resulting in death. Officers committed him to the Delaware Department of Correction on a $12,050 secured bond.
The Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit continues to investigate the crash. Troopers are asking anyone who witnessed the incident or has video footage to contact Corporal K. Oakes at (302) 365-8483.