A New York man has been charged in connection with a February crash that killed a 16-year-old passenger on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Alpine, New Jersey, prosecutors announced Thursday.
According to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, 21-year-old Ryan D. Chambers of Elmira, NY, was arrested and charged after an ongoing investigation determined he had allowed a 15-year-old unlicensed juvenile to drive a 2025 Nissan Rogue, which crashed while carrying four juvenile passengers.
The crash occurred on Friday, February 28, at around 5:58 a.m. near the New York state line. The Nissan Rogue collided with a 2019 Honda CR-V in the southbound lanes of the Palisades Interstate Parkway. The teen driver lost control while operating the vehicle recklessly at high speed, authorities said.
A 16-year-old male passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. One other passenger suffered serious injuries, and three additional occupants, including the driver, sustained minor injuries. The driver of the Honda was not injured.
The 15-year-old driver was previously charged in March with vehicular homicide, assault by auto, and multiple related offenses.
On May 27, the investigation revealed that Chambers had assumed responsibility for the juveniles and permitted the teen to operate the vehicle. He was charged with four counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
Chambers was arrested on July 1 in Elmira Heights, NY, and extradited to Bergen County, NJ, on July 8. He remains in custody at the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing in Superior Court in Hackensack.
Prosecutor Mark Musella stated that all charges are accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
