46°
Scott Lieberman, a 61-year-old businessman, was driving a brand-new Ferrari that T-boned an SUV in Teaneck on June 25, killing retired teacher Albert Schnellbacher, Teaneck police said in an accident report at the time.
Lieberman was inattentive while driving his 2022 F8 Spider (photo above) at an unsafe speed, according to the report, a copy of which was obtained by Daily Voice.
An exhaustive and lengthy investigation by Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella’s Bergen County Prosecutor’s Fatal Accident Unit led to the second-degree reckless manslaughter charge against Lieberman.
Lieberman was jailed on the charge a week ago, on Oct. 5, records show. A judge in Hackensack released him the following day.
It wasn’t immediately clear why the arrest announcement wasn’t made until Wednesday, Oct. 12.
Schnellbacher had been headed east on Briarcliffe Road in his 2008 Chevy Equinox when he came to the T intersection at Windsor Road, according to the Teaneck police report.
Lieberman, who was headed south on Windsor in his 2022 Ferrari F8 Spider told a township police officer that he saw the SUV at the stop sign at Briarcliffe, according to the report, which was filed with New Jersey State Police and the prosecutor’s office.
He reportedly said that Schnellbacher then drove into the intersection attempting to make a right turn onto Windsor.
At that point, Lieberman said, he was “unable to avoid (the) collision.”
Albert Schnellbacher was unconscious and not breathing when taken to Holy Name Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said at the time.
Lieberman sustained injuries to his elbow, arm and hand, according to police. A Bergenfield woman who was with him reported knee, leg and foot injuries. Both were treated at a local hospital before being released.
“He was a good man and fantastic father, grandfather and great-grandfather,” said the victim’s son, Eric Schnellbacher.
His dad also was still “of sound mind and good physical condition” when the crash occurred, he noted.
“The slight curve in Windsor Road just before the intersection may have prevented either driver from seeing each other,” Schnellbacher said. “However, at high speed the Ferrari may have overtaken the distance between them after the curve before either driver could react to avoid the high-speed collision.”
Albert Schnellbacher taught at P.S. 28 in Manhattan before retiring several years ago.
Born in LaGrange, MO, he served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Austria in the 1950s, according to his son.
Schnellbacher was survived by three children in all, along with his 86-year-old wife, Elfriede, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Bergenfield and receive free news updates.
