Saugus pedestrian killed by car in post-prom crash

Carol Marean, 67, was pronounced dead at the scene, Lieutenant Michael Annese said at a news conference yesterday afternoon. Her daughter Charlotte Marean, 41, was rushed to Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, then transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was in fair condition last night.

Police arrested Jonathan Caruso, 18, of Saugus, who had attended a school-sponsored post-prom harbor cruise in Boston and was bused back to the high school at about 4 a.m., police said. Caruso had two other students in the car, a male and a female, when he drove off the street, hitting a street sign, a telephone pole, and a bush, as well as the two women. Their dog was uninjured.

Neighbors said the three teenagers initially tried to leave the scene.

"The kids started to flee, and I said: 'No, no, no. I know what you look like,' " said Donna, who lives across the street and asked that her last name not be used because she is a public employee in a nearby city.

The three teens, none injured, then waited for police to arrive.

Caruso was charged with negligent motor-vehicle homicide, operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, and transporting alcohol as a minor. He is being held without bond and is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow morning.

The two other students were interviewed by police, who did not identify them, but were not arrested, Annese said.

After Saugus High School's senior prom Friday night at Danversport Yacht Club, students were bused into Boston for the harbor cruise, a school tradition that has been held after each prom for nearly a decade.

"They weren't drinking on the trip," Annese said.

Students were given breath tests, he said, and their bags were checked before the prom and before the cruise.

"This is the time of the year we dread because at the end of the school year, bad decisions are made. There are just so many things we can't control." Annese said. "I'm not really sure how many more precautions we can take."

Police had worked with school officials to organize several events over the past month to discourage students from drinking, including a mock drunken driving accident, Annese said.

Debbie Belmonte, who lives across the street from the crash site, said yesterday that she rushed outside when she heard a bang.

Belmonte, who said she is trained as a first-responder, knew the older woman was dead and began to assist the other woman, who had suffered a severe head injury and was conscious but disoriented.

"She had a large laceration, she was bleeding. I told her not to move," Belmonte said. "I just stayed with her until the ambulance came."

Neighbors said drivers routinely speed as they round the curve on Essex Street, approaching the intersection with Grove Street too quickly. One resident had posted a sign urging drivers to slow down.

"People come around this corner real fast," said Rob Aloise, a 38-year-old Saugus man who was spending the day with his son at his mother's Grove Street home. "It makes you feel like you always have to be watching out, looking back."

Outside the Saugus police station yesterday, three people who identified themselves as Caruso's grandparents and aunt but would not give their names waited for information as about a dozen reporters gathered inside for a news conference.

"It was an accident," the grandfather said.

The car, a silver sedan with extensive front-end damage and a shattered windshield, was parked inside an open police garage. The Grove Street sign that had been knocked down in the crash was lying on the floor next to the car.

School officials did not respond to phone calls seeking comment.

Carol and Charlotte Marean were often seen walking their dog in the neighborhood, said residents.

"They were the nicest people," said Sharon Mondou, who lives on Maple Street, a few houses down from the victims. Mondou said she was praying that Charlotte would recover.

"I hope she pulls through, I really do," she said.

Globe correspondent Marc Larocque contributed to this report. Collette can be reached at mpcollette@globe.com.