OCEAN TOWNSHIP, NJ – The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has launched an investigation into a fatal crash that occurred on the evening of April 15 in Ocean Township, Monmouth County, involving an Ocean Township police vehicle. The accident resulted in the death of an adult male civilian.
The preliminary report states that at around 9:08 p.m., an on-duty Ocean Township police officer was involved in a collision with multiple civilian vehicles on Route 35 South, near Sunset Avenue. The deceased, who was operating a motorized scooter at the time, was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not yet been disclosed. Neither the involved officer nor any other drivers sustained injuries.
Under a 2019 New Jersey law (N.J.S.A. 52:17B-107(a)(2)), the Attorney General’s Office is mandated to investigate any civilian death occurring during an encounter with law enforcement or while in custody. The investigation must be presented to a grand jury to determine whether the evidence warrants an indictment of the involved officers.