State Cracks Down On Bar Linked To Fatal DWI Crash Of Clark Grad

CLARK, NJ — The state's Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) announced Thursday a settlement resolving charges against Landmark Americana bars in Ewing and Glassboro stemming from two fatal accidents including the death of 20-year-old Clark man and College of New Jersey student Michael Sot.

Under the settlement, the owners of the Landmark Americana Tap & Grill located near the Rowan University campus in Glassboro, and the now-closed Landmark Americana Tap & Grill on The College of New Jersey campus in Ewing, agreed to sell the liquor license for the Glassboro location within two years, significantly curtail the bar's business hours and operation in the interim, and pay $550,000 to the State.

The settlement is a resolution of numerous charges filed against the corporate entities of the businesses. Those charges alleged numerous violations committed by the restaurants in 2018 and 2019, including operating a public nuisance requiring law enforcement responses on numerous occasions, serving an underage patron, and three separate instances of serving intoxicated patrons, two of which led to fatal crashes.

The Landmark's Ewing location closed in November 2019 following the death of Sot, a TCNJ student in December 2018.

On Dec. 2, 2018, around 2 a.m., David Lamar, 22, of West Windsor left the now closed Landmark Americana, a bar on TCNJ's campus, after hours of drinking.

Lamar crashed head-on into a car carrying six TCNJ students back to campus. The crash killed Clark local and designated driver, Sot, 20, and wounded all five passengers, one critically. Lamar and his passenger also sustained injuries in the crash. Read More: Clark Man, 20, Dies After 8 Hospitalized In Crash: Prosecutor

At the time of the incident, Lamar had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit for driving, Grewal said. Read More: NJ Driver's Blood Alcohol Was 3X The Limit In Fatal Crash: Report

Ten months later, on Oct. 11, 2019, Robert Gallagher, 21, of Monroe Township, left Landmark Glassboro after hours of drinking, lost control of his car, and crashed into a retaining wall. Gallagher died as a result of his injuries and his passenger was injured. At the time of the incident, Gallagher had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit for driving, according to Grewal.

In both crashes, ABC's investigation found that the drunk drivers had been overserved alcohol by Landmark Americana staff, Grewal said.

"Today we are holding the owners of Landmark Americana responsible for the role they played in the tragic deaths of two young people who we allege would be alive today if not for the irresponsible conduct of Landmark Americana and its staff," said James B. Graziano, Acting Director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. "These deaths are a grim reminder of what can happen when establishments fail to comply with laws requiring them to serve alcohol responsibly, especially when catering to young patrons in a college setting."

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