Senator Bob Menendez is in the news again as new reports of a fatal incident involving his wife, Lorena Melendez, have surfaced. In 2018, while she was driving, Melendez struck and killed a pedestrian in the crosswalk of an intersection in Union City, New Jersey.
The incident happened on July 7, 2018, at around 1 p.m. Melendez was driving a blue Acura when she hit a pedestrian crossing the street. Valarie Reyes, 58, was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The Union City Police Department, which was alerted about the tragic event, is still investigating the incident.
Menendez, who is a Democrat from New Jersey, has yet to comment. Lorena Melendez was not injured and is not facing any criminal charges at the moment. The family of the deceased pedestrian, however, has sued Lorena Melendez and the Menendez family for wrongful death.
Senator Menendez has been in the news frequently over the past few years. Two years ago, he was indicted on corruption charges, but was eventually found not guilty. In 2020, Senator Menendez, along with other Senators, wrote a letter to the Supreme Court, asking them to declare a constitutional right to abortion.
This incident is one of the more tragic events that has occurred in the life of Senator Menendez. While Menendez himself was not responsible for the death of the pedestrian, news of the incident may unfortunately bring further unwanted attention to his public life.
It is unclear at this time what the outcome of the lawsuit will be, but it is certain that Lorena Melendez’s actions have had dire consequences for the family of Valarie Reyes, as well as for Senator Menendez.
