A judge significantly lowered the bail for a New York, N.Y. man charged with vehicular homicide in a fatal crash on ther Garden State Parkway last month in Old Bridge. Superior Court Judge Dennis Nieves said he was reducing Mark Ellis's bail from $200,000 to $50,000 because he was gainfully employed for the past five years, his family lived in the same home in NewYork for the past 30 years and because he believed "(Ellis) will show up (in court) and face the music like a man."
NEW BRUNSWICK -- A judge significantly lowered the bail for a New York City man charged with vehicular homicide in a fatal crash on ther Garden State Parkway last month in Old Bridge.
"He will show and face the music like a man," Superior Court Judge Dennis Nieves said in lowering Mark Ellis' bail from $200,000 to $50,000.
Nieves also noted that Ellis has been employed for five years and that his family lived in the same home in New York for 30 years.
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Nieves made his remarks during a brief hearing Thursday morning in New Brunswick for Ellis, 29, who is charged with causing the death of Steven Rivera, 28, of Brooklyn, N.Y.
Rivera was a passenger in the sport utility vehicle Ellis was driving the morning of Oct. 11, 2015, when it overturned in the southbound express lanes, ejecting Ellis and Rivera, who authorities said were not wearing their seat belts. The other two passengers in the rear of the vehicle, who weere wearing seat belts, suffered non-life threatening injuries and were not ejected, according to State Police.
Larry Bitterman, Ellis's attorney, told the judge his client worked in the finance department on Montefiore Medical Center in New York cor the past five years and was never in trouble.
Bitterman argued his client was coming from a party in New Brunswick and "fell asleep" behind the wheel. Bitterman acknowleged that Ellis's blood alcohol level was over the legal limit.
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Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor R. Scott LaMountain told the judge Ellis "killed another human being and injured two others."
He said the state would agree to reduce the bail from the $200,000 originally set to $100,000, but reminded the judge that Ellis had no ties to New Jersey and, in fact, the vehicle he was driving was registered to a relative in South Carolina.
But Nieves, while acknowledging the tragic loss of life, said New York was only 40 miles away from New Brunswick and believed Ellis would show up for all court proceedings.
Sue Epstein may be reached at sepstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @susan_epstein. Find NJ.com on Facebook.