By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
A Princeton man was charged with killing a rabbi and injuring another man in a car crash on Riverside Drive Thursday morning, Princeton police said. ¶
Eric Maltz, 20, was arrested at Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, where he was recovering from the injuries he suffered in the collision that took the life of Rabbi James S. Diamond, 74, of Princeton, police said.¶
Rabbi Diamond was getting into a parked Toyota Prius around 9:40 a.m., when Mr. Maltz’s BMW crashed into the front of an unoccupied Toyota Camry parked in front of the Prius, authorities have said. ¶
The impact drove the Camry into the Prius, where a second man, Rabbi Robert Freedman, was sitting in the driver’s seat. Rabbi Diamond died at the scene, while Mr. Maltz and Mr. Freedman were taken by ambulance to Capital Health.
Mr. Maltz was listed in good condition as of Friday morning, while Mr. Freedman was released, according to a hospital spokeswoman Friday.¶
Mr. Maltz, charged with death by auto and assault by auto, had his bail set at $100,000, police said. He is in custody, as Princeton police are stationed at the hospital, said police Lt. Robert K. Toole on Friday. Once released, he will post bail or go to the Mercer County Correction Center. ¶
The police investigation continues, with the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office involved since it involves a fatality. Police have not stated what they think caused the crash.¶
The funeral for Rabbi Diamond, the former director of Princeton University’s Center for Jewish Life, is scheduled for Sunday.¶