Victim of fatal crash on Clifton-Passaic border had gunshot wound, police say

Show Caption Hide Caption Issues in Focus: Clifton An inside look at the current issues facing Clifton, NJ.

A 27-year-old man who fatally crashed his car into a tree near a ShopRite store on the Clifton-Passaic border Sunday morning had suffered a gunshot wound, police said.

Dervy Almonte-Moore, a resident of Elmwood Park, is believed to have been making a pizza delivery in the Paulison Avenue area when he was shot.

The details of the shooting were still unknown Sunday, but police said they were investigating.

A pedestrian flagged down a Passaic police officer at about 2:15 a.m. Police found the driver unresponsive in his 1998 black Toyota Camry, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Almonte-Moore had a gunshot wound to the torso when police found him, said Chief Assistant Prosecutor Jason Statuto. He was pronounced dead at St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson 30 minutes later.

Police determined that the man was working as a pizza delivery driver for Jumbo's Pizza in Wallington, and may have been shot while making a delivery in the area of 582 Paulison Ave., Clifton, before crashing his car a short distance away in Passaic.

An employee who answered the phone at Jumbo’s Pizza & Subs said the staff had been told to refer all calls on the topic to the Clifton Police Department and would not comment further.

The investigation is being conducted by the Clifton Police Department and the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from the Passaic Police Department, the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office and the Medical Examiner’s Office.

On Sunday morning, around 11, a police presence remained at the scene. A Hudson County Sheriff's Office K-9 unit vehicle was parked on the street.

Statuto said this is a “local homicide investigation” and the Hudson County Sheriff’s Office assisted with an available K-9 unit, but “other details regarding the motive or involved parties are still under investigation.”

Local residents, who were outside to inquire about the presence of police and news vans, said the area is generally safe. One woman, an area resident for 20 years who didn't want to give her name, said the neighborhood is a safe one. The same sentiment was shared by another woman who has lived there for about 12 years.

The Hudson County Sheriff K-9 unit was in Clifton where police suspect an Elmwood Park delivery man was shot before he died in a car crash a few blocks away. pic.twitter.com/rQqraqL7xa — Katie (@katesobko) July 15, 2018

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office tips line at 1-877-370-PCPO or tips@passaiccountynj.org or contact the Clifton Police Detective Bureau at 973-470-5908.

Accident: Man fatally struck by train in Westwood early Sunday

Tragedy: A homicide, a child drowning, a shattered family: Three tragedies hit hard in North Jersey

School aid: New Jersey school funding winners and losers: Will you see some tax relief?