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Francis De La Cruz Abad, 21, was operating a Yamaha scooter near the intersection of Route 33 and Whitehorse-Mercerville Road when Detective Brian Davis, driving an unmarked vehicle, tried to stop him shortly after 9 p.m. May 25, 2021.
The reason for the stop wasn't specified.
De La Cruz Abad “continued traveling westbound on Route 33 and collided with a Dodge Caravan, whose driver was attempting to turn left into the Mercerville Shopping Center from Route 33 eastbound,” New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said on Wednesday, May 10.
De La Cruz Abad “was thrown from the scooter and struck the windshield of the van,” Platkin said. “He was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center, where he died at approximately 3 p.m. on May 27 (2021).”
State law and his own guidelines require Platkin’s office to investigate deaths that occur “during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody," no matter what or how clear the circumstances are.
A 10-step process ensures that the investigations by his Office of Public Integrity and Accountability are done “in a full, impartial and transparent manner,” the attorney general said.
A state grand jury reviewed interviews of witnesses, photographs, body-worn camera footage, and autopsy results that were collected during the probe.
The panel concluded deliberations Monday, May 8, with a “no bill” finding that the detective conducted himself entirely within the letter of the law.
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