BOGOTA, NJ- Apparently, it’s all about who you are.
NJ.com reports that in 2018, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, wife of embattled U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), struck and killed a pedestrian in this small town in Bergen County while driving a Mercedes Benz.
In December 2018, Ms. Menendez struck and killed Richard Koop, who police determined was jaywalking at the time of the crash. As such, she was not charged in the case, according to the New York Times, as reported by Fox News.
Although she was involved in a fatal crash, Ms. Menendez was not subjected to a DUI test at the scene. She was immediately allowed to leave, as shown on dashcam footage of her interaction with Bogota police.
Menendez was alone in the vehicle at the time and was not yet married to Menendez. The impact was so severe that it left the victim’s body “severely mutilated,” according to the Bergen County Medical Examiner’s office.
The incident was raised again after federal authorities indicted Menendez last month for corruption and bribery charges. When asked about the accident, Sen. Menendez said, “It was a tragic accident, and obviously, we think of the family.”
The Mercedes Benz, worth over $60,000, was detailed in the indictment against Menendez as a gift he received from Egyptian businessmen Wael Hana and Jose Uribe. In January 2019, Ms. Menendez informed them she no longer had a vehicle, so Hana provided her with a 2019 Mercedes Benz.
“In exchange, MENENDEZ agreed and sought to interfere in the NJAG’s criminal insurance fraud prosecution of an associate of URIBE and a related investigation involving an employee of URIBE,” the indictment read.
The police dashcam footage revealed a man who claimed to be a retired officer from a neighboring police department. He said he responded to the scene as a “favor” for a friend whose wife was acquainted with Ms. Menendez.
Koop’s family believes they did not receive a fair investigation from the Bogota police department.
Rosemarie Koop-Angelicola, Koop’s sister, told the Times that the family “has had serious concerns over what we felt was a very sparse, one-sided investigation.”
“Definitely a lack of legal enthusiasm to take this case, definite lack of media coverage, and a lack of communication by the authorities of Bergen County. We felt that the whole thing was very silently swept under the rug,” she said.
According to Ms. Menendez, Koop allegedly “ran across the roadway and jumped onto the hood” of her vehicle, as recorded on police dashcam video. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
One witness to the crash told the New York Times that police officers at the scene appeared to know Ms. Menendez and treated her with “striking deference.”
According to public records, Ms. Menendez had many problems obeying traffic laws.
Between 2007 and 2021, she racked up several motor vehicle violations, including using her cell phone while driving, failure to obey traffic signals, and unsafe passing, for a total of about $410 in fines.
Until the indictment last month, the existence of the accident had been kept very quiet. It wasn’t until the new Mercedes Benz appeared in the indictment documents that the media began focusing on the 2018 crash.
Fox News Digital reached out to both Menendez’s office and the Bogota Police Department, neither of which responded to requests for comment.
NJ.com reports that in 2018, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, wife of embattled U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), struck and killed a pedestrian in this small town in Bergen County while driving a Mercedes Benz.
In December 2018, Ms. Menendez struck and killed Richard Koop, who police determined was jaywalking at the time of the crash. As such, she was not charged in the case, according to the New York Times, as reported by Fox News.
Although she was involved in a fatal crash, Ms. Menendez was not subjected to a DUI test at the scene. She was immediately allowed to leave, as shown on dashcam footage of her interaction with Bogota police.
Menendez was alone in the vehicle at the time and was not yet married to Menendez. The impact was so severe that it left the victim’s body “severely mutilated,” according to the Bergen County Medical Examiner’s office.
The incident was raised again after federal authorities indicted Menendez last month for corruption and bribery charges. When asked about the accident, Sen. Menendez said, “It was a tragic accident, and obviously, we think of the family.”
The Mercedes Benz, worth over $60,000, was detailed in the indictment against Menendez as a gift he received from Egyptian businessmen Wael Hana and Jose Uribe. In January 2019, Ms. Menendez informed them she no longer had a vehicle, so Hana provided her with a 2019 Mercedes Benz.
“In exchange, MENENDEZ agreed and sought to interfere in the NJAG’s criminal insurance fraud prosecution of an associate of URIBE and a related investigation involving an employee of URIBE,” the indictment read.
The police dashcam footage revealed a man who claimed to be a retired officer from a neighboring police department. He said he responded to the scene as a “favor” for a friend whose wife was acquainted with Ms. Menendez.
Koop’s family believes they did not receive a fair investigation from the Bogota police department.
Rosemarie Koop-Angelicola, Koop’s sister, told the Times that the family “has had serious concerns over what we felt was a very sparse, one-sided investigation.”
“Definitely a lack of legal enthusiasm to take this case, definite lack of media coverage, and a lack of communication by the authorities of Bergen County. We felt that the whole thing was very silently swept under the rug,” she said.
According to Ms. Menendez, Koop allegedly “ran across the roadway and jumped onto the hood” of her vehicle, as recorded on police dashcam video. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
One witness to the crash told the New York Times that police officers at the scene appeared to know Ms. Menendez and treated her with “striking deference.”
According to public records, Ms. Menendez had many problems obeying traffic laws.
Between 2007 and 2021, she racked up several motor vehicle violations, including using her cell phone while driving, failure to obey traffic signals, and unsafe passing, for a total of about $410 in fines.
Until the indictment last month, the existence of the accident had been kept very quiet. It wasn’t until the new Mercedes Benz appeared in the indictment documents that the media began focusing on the 2018 crash.
Fox News Digital reached out to both Menendez’s office and the Bogota Police Department, neither of which responded to requests for comment.
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