The recently unveiled federal corruption indictment against U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and his wife, Nadine Arslanian Menendez, reveals in vivid detail the alleged bribes they received, ranging from gold bars to cash-filled envelopes and luxurious cars.
However, newly disclosed information regarding a fatal accident, initially reported by the Bergen Record and New York Times, sheds light on why Arslanian Menendez sought a new Mercedes-Benz in 2019.
In December 2018, reports indicate that Arslanian Menendez was involved in a collision where she struck and fatally injured a pedestrian in front of her northern New Jersey home.
The crash resulted in significant damage to her black Mercedes-Benz, including a shattered windshield.
Moreover, the police investigation at the time cleared Arslanian Menendez of any wrongdoing, and she faced no charges related to the incident.
The tragic event occurred on the evening of December 12, 2018, around 7:30 p.m., as Arslanian Menendez, who was dating U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez at the time, was driving through Bogota, a suburban borough in northern New Jersey.
Police received a call just after 7:35 p.m. reporting a pedestrian struck by a car. The victim, Richard Koop, 49, suffered fatal injuries in front of his residence.
“Some guy just jumped in front of my car on my windshield,” Arslanian Menendez reportedly told a 911 dispatcher.
According to an attorney representing Koop’s estate, Arslanian Menendez was driving at a high speed and struck Koop, leading to his tragic death.
Surveillance footage showed Koop being dropped off by an Uber across the street from his apartment just moments before the collision. By the time officers arrived at the scene, Koop had no pulse, and he was pronounced dead less than an hour later at a nearby hospital.
Dash camera footage from the police captures Arslanian Menendez, dressed in a fur coat and a dress, inquiring about speaking with an attorney.
“If we can clear you from any wrongdoing, I want to get you home and comfortable, and not here any more,” an officer told her.
“He jumped on my windshield,” Arslanian Menendez responded.
Approximately 30 minutes after the collision, an off-camera individual who identified himself as a retired Hackensack officer engaged with the police, expressing his lack of association with Arslanian Menendez but indicating that he was assisting a friend in taking her home due to her car accident.
“I don’t want to interfere with you guys at all,” an unidentified man told police. “I don’t even know her. That’s my buddy’s wife who’s friends with her. And he said, ‘Could you do me a favor and take her up there, because her friend just got in a car accident.’”
Police ultimately allowed Arslanian Menendez to leave, confirming her innocence in the incident, and she faced no charges.
