Service engine light/car dies

I have a 2007 NissanVersa. My service engine soon light has recently turned on. I know that this may or may not be a big deal on it's own, and I've read the steps I need to do in order to see if it's an emissions control thing. However, my car has died 4 times within the last two weeks. I am usually going in reverse when it happens, so I stop, put it in park, and restart it. Do you have any idea what could be causing this?