FREEHOLD, NJ – Thomas A. Redding, a 45-year-old Howell Township resident, has been arrested and charged with multiple offenses related to a fatal traffic collision that occurred in July 2023. The announcement was made jointly by Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Julia Alonso and Wall Township Police Chief Sean O’Halloran.
Redding faces charges of second-degree death by auto, third-degree possession of cocaine, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a disorderly persons offense, following the incident which resulted in the death of 55-year-old Leonard Akers of Wall Township.
The collision occurred around 5 a.m. on Saturday, July 29, 2023, at the intersection of Old Mill Road and State Route 138 in Wall Township.
According to police, Akers was stopped at a red light in his 2016 Ford Fusion, behind a 2016 Dodge Ram, when Redding, driving a 2023 Toyota 4Runner, collided into the rear of Akers’ vehicle, propelling it into the truck ahead.
Akers was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center but succumbed to his injuries. An investigation by the Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team (SCART) and other agencies concluded Redding was under the influence of intoxicating substances at the time of the accident.
Redding, who evaded capture until recently, was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service in Philadelphia and is currently awaiting extradition to New Jersey. He has also been cited for speeding, reckless driving, careless driving, following too closely, operating a vehicle while in possession of narcotics, and driving while intoxicated.
