Was Senator Bob Menendez's wife gifted a new car after killing a pedestrian?
Bogota, New Jersey - Nadine Arslanian Menendez, the wife of embattled New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, was reportedly gifted a new car as a bribe after she struck and killed a pedestrian with her old one.
Could a new Mercedes point to more scandal surrounding the political couple?
According to a police report from the Bogota Police Department obtained by NorthJersey.com, Arslanian was involved in an accident that took place on December 12, 2018, where she allegedly struck a pedestrian, identified as Richard Koop, and crashed her car into a park car shortly after.
Police concluded that she was not at fault for the fatal incident, as the victim was "jaywalking and did not cross the street at an intersection or in a marked crosswalk."
The report does not indicate that a sobriety test was conducted, and she was never charged.
The report only adds to questions surrounding the couple. Both Arslanian and her husband were indicted last month on "bribery offenses in connection with their corrupt relationship with three New Jersey businessmen."
The indictment claims that a month after the accident, Wael Hana, an Egyptian American businessman who is also listed as a defendant, gifted Arslanian a 2019 Mercedez-Benz C-300 convertible to replace her totaled vehicle.
Despite growing calls for him to step down, Bob Menendez refuses, claiming he and his wife will be exonerated in court.
Cover photo: TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP