Ridgefield Yusuf Bakmaz Car Accident: Montclair State University Student Killed, Girlfriend Seriously Injured

Yusuf Bakmaz, a sophomore computer science major on the Dean’s List at Montclair State University, tragically passed away at the scene of an overnight incident in Ridgefield. Bakmaz was a member of the Computer Science Club at Montclair State University. In the early hours of Saturday morning, a 19-year-old college student from Garfield crashed his Mustang into the front of a newly opened restaurant in Ridgefield, resulting in Yusuf Bakmaz death and serious injuries to his girlfriend.

Ridgefield Police Chief TJ Gallagher reported that Bakmaz and his girlfriend were traveling north on Broad Avenue when Bakmaz failed to notice the left turn onto Grand Avenue around midnight on June 24. The white 2002 Ford Mustang crossed over the divider and collided with another vehicle before crashing into Karden, a recently opened restaurant located on the former site of Chan’s Dragon Inn.

Bakmaz, a second-year computer science student on the Dean’s List at Montclair State University, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. His girlfriend, who managed to exit the vehicle, was transported to the trauma unit at Hackensack University Medical Center and is reportedly in critical condition. The occupants of the vehicle that was hit by the Mustang, according to Gallagher, escaped without injuries.

The initial response to the incident involved local police and fire departments. An Advanced Life Support (ALS) unit from Holy University Medical Center (HUMC) swiftly arrived at the scene, along with emergency response teams from NJ Mobile Health and Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck. The county sheriff’s Bureau of Criminal Identification gathered the necessary evidence for victim identification, while firefighters respectfully removed Bakmaz’s body and transferred it to the county Medical Examiner’s Office. The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigations Unit has been notified of the incident.

According to one of the rescue personnel, all units worked together effectively to preserve the entire scene and handle the driver’s removal with dignity. The Mustang was covered with a sheet before being transported from the site. The Ridgefield Police Department’s investigation into the incident is currently awaiting the results of toxicological tests, as Gallagher mentioned. Witnesses reportedly alerted the police to the vehicle’s excessive speed.

Update: We also wanted to inform you that Yusuf Bakmaz’s girlfriend’s condition is not critical; in fact, she left the hospital on her own and we received this information from a friend. His girlfriend is in good health, and he has no reason to worry.