Company Owner, Driver Indicted

SOMERVILLE, N.J. (AP) — A trucking company owner and a truck driver have been indicted in connection with an accident that killed a couple from North Plainfield, N.J.

John Stangle, the owner of ATI Transport of Three Bridges, and part-time driver Gaizka Idoeta, of Newark, N.J., were charged April 9 with second-degree vehicular homicide and manslaughter in the deaths of Kevin and Alecia Puckrein. If convicted, each man could serve five to 10 years in prison.

The Puckreins died in June when their car was crushed by a tractor-trailer Idoeta was driving at an intersection with Route 22, less than a mile from their home. They were going home after finalizing papers that would have ended their 26-year marriage.

Somerset County Prosecutor Wayne J. Forrest said the truck needed repairs and problems with the braking system, as well as other areas, contributed to the crash.

According to state records, Idoeta had six points on his driver’s license at the time of the crash. He received five summonses between 1995 and June 1998, including tickets for careless driving, speeding and ignoring a traffic signal.

Stangle’s mother, Norma, told The Courier-News of Bridgewater that he had checked to make sure Idoeta had a valid commercial driver license before allowing him to get behind the wheel.

"That was not my son’s regular driver," she said. "A friend asked him to give him a job for one week."