No Charges For Bergen Officer In Fatal 2019 Route 208 Crash

FAIR LAWN, NJ — A state grand jury will not file charges against a Bergen County Sheriff's Officer who struck and killed a 12-year-old boy from Fair Lawn on Route 208 in 2019.

The fatal police encounter, which involved Officer Michael Sansevere, was investigated by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA), and presented to 16 to 23 New Jersey residents called to serve on the grand jury.

How We Got Here

Shortly after 9:00 p.m. on April 14, 2019, four juveniles were attempting to cross Route 208 from east to west, just north of Fair Lawn Avenue, the AG's Office report said.

Three of the kids crossed the northbound lanes, jumped over the center divider, and ran across the southbound lanes. Christian Tawadros, then a seventh grader at Thomas Jefferson Middle School, who was behind the other three, crossed the northbound lanes, climbed over the center divider, and was struck in the center of the left southbound lane by a marked Bergen County Sheriff’s Office SUV driven by Sansevere.

The officer was on duty, but was not responding to a call for service at the time. After the impact, Sansevere brought his vehicle to an immediate stop, activated his emergency lights, notified dispatch of the collision, exited his vehicle, and assessed the child’s condition, the AG's Office said.

Emergency medical personnel responded, and the child was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Legal Process

In July 2021, OPIA issued standard operating procedures to ensure that these grand jury presentations are "conducted in a neutral, objective manner, and with appropriate transparency regarding the process, consistent with the Independent Prosecutor Directive."

The investigation included interviews of witnesses and a review of footage from the mobile video recorder in the police vehicle, as well as autopsy results from the medical examiner.

After hearing testimony and evidence from the investigation, the grand jury concluded its deliberations yesterday, Nov. 9, and voted “no bill,” meaning a majority of grand jurors concluded that no charges should be filed against Sansevere.

A 2019 law — P.L. 2019, c. 1 — requires the Attorney General’s Office to conduct investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity, or "while the decedent is in custody."

It requires that all such investigations be presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved.

A conflicts check was also conducted in accordance with the Independent Prosecutor Directive, and no actual or potential conflict of interest was found involving anyone assigned to the investigation.

Prior to presentation to the grand jury, the investigation was reviewed by OPIA Executive Director Thomas Eicher, in accordance with the policies and procedures established for these presentations.