Woodbridge, NJ – The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has released police radio transmissions, surveillance video, and police vehicle recorder footage from the ongoing investigation into a fatal crash involving a Woodbridge Police Department officer and a fleeing vehicle in Middlesex County.
The materials, released Friday by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), relate to the Feb. 20 crash that claimed the life of a juvenile passenger riding in a Nissan Maxima driven by Mikael Salman, 18, of Iselin. The juvenile’s identity has not been released.
Videos document pursuit before fatal collision
According to the Attorney General’s Office, the preliminary investigation found that shortly before midnight on Feb. 19, Salman was allegedly driving a Nissan Maxima at a high rate of speed southbound on Route 1. Woodbridge Police Officer Khari Manzini, who was in a marked patrol vehicle, left a stationary position and attempted to catch up to the vehicle.
Investigators said the Nissan traveled from Route 1 South to Avenel Road, continued onto Remsen Avenue and Route 35 (Saint George’s Avenue), then re-entered Route 1 South. About one minute later, the Nissan collided with a second civilian vehicle at the intersection of Route 1 South and Gill Lane.
Authorities said officers found Salman and his juvenile passenger trapped inside the wreckage, prompting firefighters to assist with their rescue. Salman was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital with serious injuries, while the juvenile passenger was pronounced dead at 12:25 a.m. Investigators also found a deceased dog inside the Nissan.
Separate investigations continue
The occupants of the second vehicle also sustained serious injuries and were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for treatment. Officials emphasized that the police vehicle was not directly involved in the collision.
OPIA is investigating Officer Manzini’s conduct during the encounter, while the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office is conducting a separate investigation into Salman’s actions leading up to the crash.
“The footage is being released pursuant to policies established by the Attorney General’s Office to promote the fair, impartial, and transparent investigation of fatal police encounters,” the agency said. Officials added that representatives of the juvenile’s family were given an opportunity to review the recordings before they were made public.
Under New Jersey law, all deaths occurring during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in an official capacity must be investigated by the Attorney General’s Office and presented to a grand jury to determine whether the evidence supports criminal charges against any officer involved. The investigation remains ongoing.
