Suspect arrested for murdering cab driver, also arrested in hit-and-run

NEWARK, N.J. (WABC) -- Two violent crimes; a cab driver's murder and then an elderly woman run down by a car.

Police forensics are linking both crimes to one man.

A 79-year-old woman remains at New York University hospital after she was struck by a driver allegedly trying to escape from police.

That driver was arrested, but now it turns out authorities believe he also murdered a cab driver just 48 hours before.

When Newark police caught 20-year-old Nathaniel Young last month, little did officials know they would prosecute him for separate crimes.

Friday, Young was charged with murder, and his bail was jacked up to $1 million.

The victim's wife was left to raise 10 children alone. On August 25th, her husband, 57-year-old Imad Alasnar, picked up a fare in his cab on Bedford Street in Rahway only to be fatally shot in the head and robbed.

Two days later, Newark police tried to pull over Nathaniel Young. Eyewitness News is told he tried to flee in his vehicle but in the process struck a 79-year-old woman walking her dog.

Officials report he eventually crashed, tried to run away on foot, but was caught.

Now three weeks later, Authorities say forensics evidence as linked him to the cab driver's murder.

So in addition to the hit-and-run involving the 79-year-old woman, he is now being charged with murder and robbery in the savage killing of the cab driver.

There were also other victims: after the cabbie was killed, Eyewitness News is told the taxi continued out-of-control until it hit another parked car injuring the two people inside that parked vehicle.

And two days later, in addition to crashing into the elderly woman, police say Young struck another parked vehicle injuring the two people inside that car.

There were so many victims and now one young man is being blamed for all of that heartache.