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“The preliminary investigation revealed that Jason Champion, 41, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Nuwnah Laroche, 34, of East Elmhurst, were traveling in a 2001 Cadillac Escalade when it became disabled on the southbound side of the roadway,” the release says.
“Sometime later, both individuals were pedestrians in left, northbound lane in the area of milepost 115, when they were struck by a Washington Township Police car driven by 46-year-old Officer Arsenio Pecora.
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Washington Township Sgt. Arsenio “A.J.” Pecora
READ THIS: Washington Township Sgt. Arsenio Pecora was returning home from Fort Dix after attending night time/low light training for the Bergen County Rapid Deployment Team when his township cruiser struck two people who were walking in the traffic lanes of the New Jersey Turnpike, local police said tonight. READ MORE….
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“According to the Washington Township Police Department, Officer Pecora was returning from training at Fort Dix at the time of the accident.
“The victims were pronounced deceased on scene at 4:33 a.m. via telemetry.”
“A.J.” Pecora, a 20-year department veteran who’d attended several-hours-long training that began at 3 pm., sustained minor injuries in the 1 a.m. crash.
He was brought to Hackensack University Medical Center after an off-duty Little Ferry police officer summoned help.
Police Chief Glenn Hooper and other members of the department remained with him at the hospital overnight.
The New Jersey State Police Fatal Accident Unit, Crime Scene Investigation Unit, with personnel from the NJSP Newark Station, were investigating.
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