TINTON FALLS, NJ – A Toms River resident and police officer working for the Hillside Police Department has been arrested and charged for a crash he caused in October that resulted in the deaths of two people.
Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Lori Linskey said John P. McClave III, 34, a resident of Toms River and a sworn member of the Hillside Police Department was criminally responsible for the crash and has been charged with two counts of second-degree Vehicular Homicide.
According to police reports, shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 9, 2021, members of the Tinton Falls Police Department and Wayside Fire Company responded to a report of a collision that had taken place on Asbury Avenue, in the area of the Parkway overpass.
Upon arrival, officers encountered the two involved vehicles: a 2018 GMC Canyon pickup truck driven by McClave, and a 2020 Toyota Corolla driven by 40-year-old Angel L. Acevedo, Jr. of Baltimore, Maryland.
Acevedo and his wife, 35-year-old Daniela Correia Salles, sustained multiple severe injuries and were both pronounced dead at the scene. McClave was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for treatment of serious but not life-threatening injuries, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
“An investigation by the multi-jurisdictional Monmouth County Serious Crash Analysis Response Team (SCART), the MCPO Fatal Accident Unit, and the Tinton Falls Police Department determined that McClave was driving his vehicle recklessly while under the influence of intoxicating substances at the time of the collision,” Linskey said. “The investigation further determined that McClave’s vehicle did not change direction or slow down significantly after it left the Parkway lanes, resulting in his vehicle becoming airborne upon hitting an embankment, eventually striking the car occupied by the victims. “
McClave was additionally issued summonses for Reckless Driving, Failure to Maintain Lanes, Failure to Wear a Seatbelt, and Having an Open Container of Alcohol in a Vehicle.
“This officer’s actions on the night of the collision far crossed the line separating passive negligence from active criminality, and as a result, a married couple has lost their lives,” Acting Prosecutor Linskey said. “We hope today’s announcement brings their loved ones some semblance of solace in knowing that the first steps have been taken towards achieving justice.”