Hunt Is On For Killer Of Cab Driver

A 49-year-old cab driver and married father of three was gunned down early Saturday, authorities said.

Emergency workers responded shortly before 4am to 604 Mt. Prospect Ave. for what was originally believed to be a traffic accident in which a taxi had struck several parked cars, authorities said.

When workers extricated the driver, Rochenel Guerrier of Irvington, they discovered he had been fatally shot. Guerrier had been working for the Family Service cab company for about six months, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.

Witnesses reportedly saw Guerrier slump over after being shot, CBS News reported. The site reported that Guerrier took the job driving the taxi at night in Newark because he was struggling to provide for his children.

"Detectives from Essex County Homicide Task Force and the Newark Police Department are in the early stages of this investigation," Newark Police Director Samuel DeMaio said in the statement. "I am confident that they will be conducting a thorough investigation to apprehend and bring to justice those responsible for this senseless crime."

DeMaio also urged anyone with information to call 877-NWK-TIPS or 877-NWK-GUNS. The lines are open around the clock and callers can remain anonymous.

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