Report of fatal New Jersey car crash fills in key gap in Menendez federal bribery investigation

BOGOTA, N.J. (AP) — Nadine Menendez, now the wife of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez, killed a man with her car in December 2018 and left the scene without being charged. That’s according to new details matching an auto accident that federal prosecutors cite as pivotal in one of Menendez’ alleged bribes to impact a separate New Jersey investigation in exchange for a $60,000 Mercedes-Benz. Police reports say Nadine Menendez, who went by Nadine Arslanian at the time, struck 49-year-old Richard Koop in front of his Bogota, New Jersey, home in December 2018. Authorities found no fault with the senator’s then-girlfriend, reporting that Koop jaywalked. There’s no record that she was drug- or alcohol-tested.