Morris Co. Woman's Death Prompts Statewide Police Initiative

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — The New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police has launched a Goal Zero Mid-Summer Saturation Enforcement Initiative in memory of a Morris County woman who was killed by a distracted driver.

On Saturday, law enforcement across the Garden State will coordinate "high-visibility traffic enforcement focused on pedestrian safety during peak summer weekend community activity."

The move is dedicated to Patti Smith Barrett, 54, of Chatham, who was killed in a car accident earlier this year.

On Jan. 2, around noon, police were called to Fairmount Avenue in Chatham Borough on reports that someone had been hit by a car.

Authorities found Barrett had been hit by a Ford F-150 truck driven by Matthew Vining, 29, of Chatham Township. Vining was holding Barrett, who was alive but unresponsive when police arrived.

Barrett was rushed to the Morristown Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead five days later. Her donated organs saved the lives of two people, officials added.

Vining was charged with third-degree vehicular homicide in February and pleaded guilty. In June, he was sentenced to a three-year term of probation, with 364 days in Morris County Correctional Facility as a condition, 80 hours of community service, and a six-month license suspension that will commence upon release from jail.

Officials said Vining's truck's window tinting and a foggy windshield played a role in the collision.

“Goal: Zero is ultimately about preventing another family and another community from experiencing a loss like this. Patti's death affected all of Chatham," said Chatham Police Chief Brian K. Gibbons. "By dedicating this detail to her memory, we hope motorists will understand that distracted, inattentive, aggressive, and unsafe driving are not abstract traffic violations—they can have irreversible consequences.”

A former broadcast journalist, Barrett was a wife and mother of four who was described as "an active community volunteer deeply devoted to her family and the Chatham community."

Goal: Zero is a high-visibility traffic safety and enforcement campaign led by law enforcement agencies to reduce traffic fatalities, serious injuries, and crashes. Officials say Saturdays are among the deadliest days for pedestrian crashes.

“Patti Smith Barrett’s death is a tragic reminder of why Goal Zero matters. When a preventable crash takes a mother, a neighbor, and a valued member of the community, the loss is felt far beyond one town," Collingswood Police Chief and NJSACOP president Kevin J. Carey said. "This mid-summer saturation detail honors her memory by putting officers on the road to protect pedestrians and hold drivers accountable for unsafe behavior."