A 28-year-old Irvington woman was struck and killed by a car on Springfield Avenue on Monday morning. Authorities are investigating the incident.
“On 5/13/24 at approximately 9:10 am, a female pedestrian was struck by a motor vehicle in the 1400 block of Springfield Avenue, Maplewood,” said Essex County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Thomas S. Fennelly in an email. “The victim, a 28-year- old Irvington resident, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver remained on the scene. The investigation is continuing and no further information is available at this time.”
Fennelly identified the woman as Maria Dolores Ganzhi Zhao, a single mother of two daughters, 7 years old and 9 months. Zhao was a native of Ecuador.
A GoFundMe has been set up to pay for her burial in Ecuador and for her daughters, Noemà & Genesis. As of Saturday evening, the page had raised just over $2,000 toward its goal of $15,000.
