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At 10:19 a.m., a New Jersey State Trooper began following an SUV on Route 80 eastbound and initiated a traffic stop, the Warren County Prosecutor's Office said.
The driver of the SUV, Sean Mamakas, a Kempton, PA resident, continued traveling eastbound, exiting the interstate at Exit 12 and headed toward County Road 521 southbound in Hope Township, authorities said.
The SUV then collided with the back of a motorcycle near Dogwood Road, causing the motorcyclist, Michael Ceddia, a 76-year-old Hackettstown resident to be ejected and the driver losing control of the SUV, leaving the roadway, authorities said.
Ceddia was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Mamakas was arrested at the scene and transported to Hackettstown Medical Center with minor injuries. He was charged with aggravated manslaughter, eluding, aggravated assault and vehicular homicide, authorities said.
A Harley Davidson enthusiast, Ceddia was a lifelong Hackettstown resident, according to his obituary on the Cochran Funeral Home website. Ceddia enlisted in the US Navy and served as a Boatswain's mate during the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1972, his obituary reads.
He is survived by his daughter, Sarah, his grandson, Raymond, his daughter, Rachel and son-in-law, Robert, according to his obituary. Funeral arrangements will be private, according to his obituary.
To view his obituary, click here.
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