Mistaken for a Trash Bag? How Did a US Driver Drag a Woman Two Miles Without Realising It

New Jersey: A woman died in Newark after being struck by a vehicle and dragged underneath it for approximately two miles, with the driver telling authorities she believed she had merely run over a black garbage bag. The incident occurred on the evening of November 6, prompting an ongoing investigation by local law enforcement and county prosecutors.

According to a joint statement from Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II and Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda, police were dispatched to the parking lot of the Extra Supermarket, located at 327 Lyons Avenue in the Weequahic neighbourhood, at approximately 6:58 p.m. on Friday. Officers responded to emergency reports of an unresponsive woman trapped beneath a parked car.

During initial questioning at the scene, the driver informed investigators that she had been travelling southbound on Sherman Avenue when her vehicle struck an object in the roadway. Assuming she had hit a black trash bag, she did not stop to inspect the road and continued driving for roughly two miles until reaching the supermarket.

After parking, I entered the grocery store to make a purchase. The grim discovery was only made when she returned to her car and attempted to back out of the parking space. When the vehicle refused to move in reverse, the driver stepped out to check around the car and found the woman pinned underneath the chassis. She immediately alerted an on-site security officer, who contacted 911.

Emergency responders arrived shortly afterwards, and the victim was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities have not yet publicly released the identities of either the victim or the driver.

Prosecutors confirmed that no criminal charges have been filed against the driver, as the investigation remains active. Investigators are working to reconstruct the exact timeline and circumstances of the collision along Sherman Avenue. The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office has urged any witnesses or individuals with relevant dashcam footage or information to contact their confidential tip line at 1-877-847-7432.

Note: The YouTube videos returned in the search results cover unrelated incidents involving garbage trucks in Louisville and New York rather than this specific Newark case, so no video link is included.

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