State of New Jersey v. Alexander Eiden

CourtNew Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division
DecidedJune 17, 2026
DocketA-3152-24
StatusUnpublished

This text of State of New Jersey v. Alexander Eiden (State of New Jersey v. Alexander Eiden) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State of New Jersey v. Alexander Eiden, (N.J. Ct. App. 2026).

Opinion

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court ." Although it is posted on the internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited . R. 1:36-3.

SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION DOCKET NO. A-3152-24

STATE OF NEW JERSEY,

Plaintiff-Respondent,

v.

ALEXANDER EIDEN,

Defendant-Appellant. _________________________

Submitted April 21, 2026 – Decided June 17, 2026

Before Judges Gilson and Vinci.

On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Essex County, Indictment No. 23-07-1514.

Robert Carter Pierce, attorney for appellant.

Theodore N. Stephens II, Essex County Prosecutor, attorney for respondent (Lucille M. Rosano, Assistant Prosecutor, of counsel and on the brief).

PER CURIAM

This appeal arises out of a fatal automobile collision during which a car

driven by defendant Alexander Eiden struck the side of a car driven by Christine Perrella and the force of the collision caused injuries resulting in the tragic death

of Perrella. Following the collision, defendant was indicted for two crimes and

ultimately pled guilty to second-degree causing death by reckless operation of

an automobile, N.J.S.A. 2C:11-5(a). He appeals from the denial of his motion

to suppress evidence seized in accordance with four warrants. Having reviewed

the record and law, we affirm the order denying his motion to suppress and,

therefore, his conviction.

I.

Just before 10 a.m. on January 9, 2023, a motor vehicle driven by

defendant hit the side of a vehicle driven by Perrella. Officers from the Roseland

Police Department responded to the scene, which was near 101 Eisenhower

Parkway in Roseland. Defendant had been operating a BMW M5, traveling

southbound on Eisenhower Parkway when his BMW struck the passenger side

of a Nissan Rogue operated by Perrella. Perrella had been traveling northbound

and was attempting a left-hand turn into her place of employment when her

vehicle was struck by defendant's vehicle. As a result, Perrella's vehicle traveled

over the curb line, and came to rest facing southwest from the point of impact.

Perrella was transported to the hospital and died from her injuries. The airbags

in defendant's vehicle deployed and he was not seriously injured.

A-3152-24 2 At approximately noon, the Essex County Prosecutor's Office (ECPO)

Crime Scene Investigation Bureau was informed of the accident, responded, and

took over the investigation. The investigation at the scene revealed: (1) the

BMW had suffered "extreme [] front end damage"; (2) the airbags in the BMW

had deployed; (3) the Nissan Perrella had been driving "came to rest

approximately 175 feet facing southwest from the point of impact;" (4) the

Nissan "suffered severe damage to the passenger side door, which . . . resulted

in the doors caving in to the passenger cabin;" (5) the front tire of the Nissan

"was dislodged and came off upon impact;" and (6) as a result of the damage the

Nissan sustained, Perrella had to be extracted from the vehicle.

On January 10, 2023, Detective Angelica Barnes applied for a warrant to

search defendant's BMW. The warrant certification was captioned

"Investigation into the Death of Christine Perrella," and included the code "VH -

2023-03." Barnes began her certification by listing her credentials and training,

as well as her general responsibilities. In that regard, she stated that she had

completed several crash investigation courses and was "responsible for

conducting [c]rash [i]nvestigations that have resulted in serious bodily injury or

death."

A-3152-24 3 Next, Barnes stated that she had "been assigned to assist in the

investigation of a fatal crash on January 9, 2023, in the area [of] 101 Eisenhower

Parkway . . . in which [] Perrella . . . was struck and killed." The certification

then listed the following facts:

a. On Monday, January 9, 2023, at approximately 12:11[p.m.], the Essex County Prosecutor's Office Crime Scene Investigation Bureau received notification from the Roseland Police Department regarding a dual motor vehicle collision, which resulted in the death of [] Perrella near 101 Eisenhower Parkway in Roseland, New Jersey.

b. Around 9:59[a.m.], Roseland Police Department officers had responded to the scene. A 2019 BMW M5 –[registration number] – [V.I.N. number] was being operated by [defendant] when it struck the decedent's vehicle, a 2012 Nissan Rogue – [registration number] – [V.I.N. number].

c. [Defendant] was traveling southbound on Eisenhower Parkway and the decedent was navigating a left-hand turn (westbound) into 101 Eisenhower Parkway when her vehicle was struck on the passenger side. This caused the decedent to lose directional control of the car, travel over the curb line, and come to a final rest facing nominally south. Additionally, airbags were deployed in the 2019 BMW M5.

d. Both vehicles were transported to the Essex County Prosecutor's Office – Crime Scenes Investigation Bureau in Orange, New Jersey pending further processing and mechanical inspections.

A-3152-24 4 e. The decedent was transported to St. Barnabas Medical Center, but ultimately succumbed to her injuries.

f. [Defendant] remained on scene and possess[ed] valid driving credentials.

Barnes also stated she had not included "each and every fact known to

[her] concerning this investigation," but only those facts that she believed were

"necessary to establish probable cause" to search defendant's vehicle. She

further attested "that there is probable cause to believe that evidence of [the]

incident is contained within the [defendant's vehicle]." Lastly, Barnes described

the scope of the search to be conducted. Accordingly, she stated:

The purpose and scope of this search is to recover evidence of the incident. This evidence would include but [is] not [] limited to fingerprints, DNA and other forensic evidence, documents pertaining to ownership of the vehicle and operation of it during the time of the collision, any evidence pertaining to the manner in which the vehicle was being driven during the collision, including cell phone use and alcohol or drug use. . . . This search is also requested to include any event data recorder systems, electronic communications devices located within the vehicle[], and/or installed "infotainment systems." In addition, a mechanical inspection is sought to determine if any mechanical malfunctions contributed to this crash, and a search of the event data recorder or black box to ascertain speed, braking, and other data available related to the vehicles near the time of the crash.

A-3152-24 5 On January 10, 2023, a Superior Court judge granted the search warrant.

During the ensuing search, detectives obtained the Event Data Recorder (EDR),

or "black box," from defendant's vehicle. Using crash data retrieval software,

detectives learned defendant's vehicle had been traveling at 103 miles per hour

(mph) seconds before the crash. The anti-lock brake system activity showed

defendant applied the brakes one second before the crash, and on impact,

defendant's vehicle was traveling seventy-four (74) mph. Additionally, the

search of defendant's vehicle revealed that his BMW was equipped with an

Escort M2 Dash Camera, but that its secure digital card was missing.

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State of New Jersey v. Alexander Eiden, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-new-jersey-v-alexander-eiden-njsuperctappdiv-2026.