AG Releases Video, Audio Of Fatal East Brunswick Police Car Crash

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ — The Attorney General’s Office on Thursday released video and audio recordings related to a fatal incident in which a police car struck a pedestrian on Aug.1 in East Brunswick.

The AG's office released footage from a private security camera and audio of 911 calls and a police radio call. Investigators met with the victim's family and their attorney on Thursday to review the recordings, the AG said.

The pedestrian, Julius Filep, 55, of Edison, was struck by an East Brunswick police car on the morning of Aug.1. He was critically injured and died in the hospital a short time afterward.

According to the preliminary investigation, Officer Mitchell Ngai of the East Brunswick Police Department, was on-duty and in uniform, driving a marked patrol vehicle on Route 18. He was responding to a reported motor vehicle accident in the southbound lanes of the roadway. Around 3:35 a.m. when he was traveling north in the vicinity of the reported accident, he struck Filep, who was walking in the roadway in front of 260, Route 18, the AG said.

Medical aid was given to Filep, who was taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:13 a.m.

The fatal police encounter remains under investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), the Attorney General’s office said. The video was released in accordance with policies established by the Attorney General in 2019 designed to promote the fair, impartial, and transparent investigation of fatal police encounters.

The recordings were also posted online. Click here for recordings.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information was released.

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news.