NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Somerville, NJ, August 15, 2026 — A New Jersey judge has ordered 18-year-old Siddartha Prasad Surapanani to remain in custody while he faces charges stemming from a July crash that killed 44-year-old Deepa Sripathy, an India-born mother of two.
Superior Court Judge Peter J. Tober denied Surapanani’s request for pretrial release Friday, Aug. 14, following a detention hearing at the Somerset County Courthouse. Surapanani, a Belle Mead resident, is charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and second-degree leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. He has pleaded not guilty.
Sripathy, of Bridgewater, was killed in the early morning crash on July 27 at the intersection of Route 202 and First Avenue in Raritan Borough. Authorities have said Surapanani was driving a BMW that collided with Sripathy’s Acura at approximately 6:29 a.m. Sripathy was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sripathy was a native of India and a married mother of two daughters, ages 20 and 16, according to her obituary.
At Friday’s hearing, prosecutors described what they alleged was an extended period of dangerous driving before the fatal collision. According to an account of the court proceedings by The Montgomery News, prosecutors said video evidence showed Surapanani driving erratically along Route 202 before the crash, including speeding, using the shoulder, crossing medians and at times traveling against traffic. The allegations have not been proven at trial.
Prosecutors also argued that Surapanani posed a flight risk and a danger to the community if released. The state raised his family’s financial resources and ties to India as part of its argument against release. The judge ultimately concluded that conditions of release would not adequately address the risks cited by prosecutors.
Surapanani’s defense argued that his behavior on the morning of the crash resulted from a mental health emergency rather than criminal intent. His attorney said the teenager had experienced a psychotic episode associated with previously undiagnosed bipolar disorder. The defense sought to have him released to his family under conditions that included house arrest, psychiatric treatment and a prohibition on driving.
The defense also emphasized Surapanani’s lack of a prior criminal record and presented character letters on his behalf.
Surapanani is a biology student in Seton Hall University’s joint B.S./M.D. program, according to information previously reported by The Montgomery News based on his LinkedIn profile.
Judge Tober declined to release him, expressing concern about whether the proposed conditions would sufficiently protect the public while Surapanani’s mental health diagnosis and treatment were still being evaluated.
Surapanani remains presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
His next court proceeding is expected to be a pre-indictment conference in September.
Cover photo credit: Siddartha Prasad Surapanani.
