NORTH PLAINFIELD, NJ – Kavon Powell-Coleman, 35, from Plainfield, New Jersey, has been charged with vehicular homicide after a motor vehicle accident in North Plainfield on Tuesday, March 4, 2025. The incident was announced by Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald, Chief of County Detectives Francisco Roman Jr., and North Plainfield Police Chief Alan McKay.
At around 1:16 p.m. on March 4, 2025, the North Plainfield Police Department responded to a 9-1-1 call about a motor vehicle crash at the intersection of Greenbrook Road and Duer Street. Upon arrival, officers found a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee in the middle of Greenbrook Road and a 2014 Ford F150 pick-up truck on a residence’s front lawn on Duer Street. The F150’s driver, who sustained minor injuries, declined medical treatment, while Powell-Coleman, the driver of the Jeep Cherokee, also refused treatment for minor injuries. The front and rear passengers of the F150 were taken to the hospital for treatment.
According to the driver of the Ford F150, he had been driving west on Greenbrook Road when he was struck at the intersection.
On March 7, 2025, the North Plainfield Police Department was notified that the rear passenger of the F150, 68-year-old Victor Manuel Amaya Ramos of Bridgewater, NJ, had died from his injuries.
An investigation conducted by the Somerset County Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team (CART), North Plainfield Police Traffic Safety Division, and detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit revealed that Powell-Coleman was driving at a high speed down Duer Street, where the posted speed limit is 25 mph. Surveillance footage and a loud crash sound confirmed this. The intersection’s stop sign on Duer Street and lack of one on Greenbrook Road contributed to the collision.
On March 13, 2025, Powell-Coleman was arrested in Somerville, NJ, and charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and fourth-degree assault by auto. He was also issued various motor vehicle summonses related to the accident. Powell-Coleman was processed and is currently in the Somerset County Jail, awaiting a hearing.
Somerset County Prosecutor McDonald, Chief Roman, and Chief McKay encourage anyone with further information on the incident to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100, the North Plainfield Police Department at (908) 769-2900, or submit anonymous tips via the STOPit app or Somerset County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All reports will be kept confidential.
