Overview
- Coutinho, 56, collided with another driver on McCarter Highway in Newark on Sunday around 7:30 a.m., and police said the other person is expected to survive.
- Local outlets reported he survived the impact and suffered a fatal heart attack at the scene, a detail authorities have not confirmed as the investigation continues.
- Mourners gathered Monday night in Newark’s Portuguese community to honor him, with leaders recalling his work mentoring kids and organizing the city’s Portugal Day Festival.
- He served in the New Jersey Assembly in 1997 and again from 2008 to 2013 representing the 29th District, which covers parts of Newark.
- He left office in 2013 after admitting he took $32,500 from his family’s foundation and received probation, and he was pardoned by Gov. Phil Murphy in early 2026.