Prosecutors arrested 27-year-old John Arango-Taborda on Wednesday. He's been charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter, and second-degree vehicular homicide.
Investigators say the Elizabeth resident was speeding and crashed into a car driven by 56-year-old Albert Coutinho.
The former lawmaker died at University Hospital.
Arango-Taborda was also injured in the accident.
Coutinho was a pillar of Newark's Portuguese community and a key organizer of the city's Portugal Day Festival.
The Portuguese and soccer communities remember him for his true passion: soccer.
A vigil was held in his honor earlier this week.
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