Elderly Couple Killed in Crash

It happened Wednesday afternoon on 8th and Chestnut in Vineland, NJ.

An elderly couple is dead after a car accident in Cumberland County.

It happened Wednesday shortly before 1:30 p.m. on Chestnut Avenue and South 8th Street in Vineland.

Police say Otniel Viera, 77, and his wife Eunice Viera, 77, of Vineland were making a left hand turn in their white Sudan when they were suddenly struck by a Dodge Charger.

Otniel died at the scene while Eunice was taken to the hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.

A friend of the couple told NBC 10 that the two met while growing up in a village in Columbia and dated when they were younger. Then then came to the United States separately and married different people, according to the friend. The friend then claimed the two reconnected 20 years ago after their spouses died and married each other, remaining inseparable since then.

"If you saw them in the mall they were holding hands," said Maria Saavedra, a friend of the victims. "They were good people."

Investigators say the couple's car was struck by a 17-year-old driver. The teen was taken into custody and released after. NBC 10's Rosemary Connors asked the teen if he was street racing during the time of the accident which he denied. No charges have been filed against him at this time as police continue to investigate.

Witnesses claim the teen tried to flee the scene of the accident and then returned, though this has not been confirmed by police.

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