Son of Ex-Giant Faces Trial for Allegedly Running Down Man

Clint Benson, son of ex-New York Giants football player Brad Benson, will go to trial on charges for allegedly running down a man and leaving the scene on St. Patrick’s Day.

The tentative trial is set for April 2016, according to nj.com.

Benson, 21, of Hillsborough, was initially charged in March with second-degree aggravated assault, third-degree assault by auto, leaving the scene of an accident involving an injured person and drunk driving.

Benson was then indicted in June on charges of aggravated assault, assault by auto, endangering an injured victim, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and possession of hollow-point bullets after being arrested March 17 in Branchburg.

Today, Nov. 20, Superior Court Judge Julie M. Marino, sitting in Somerset County, said she would issue a decision in the next two weeks regarding a Miranda hearing concerning statements Benson allegedly made after the incident, according to nj.com.

She also scheduled a hearing for February to determine if the results of breathalyzer test administered to Benson immediately after the incident will be admissible in court. A pre-trial hearing has been scheduled for Feb. 24 as well, according to nj.com.

Benson, the son of Brad Benson, a Super Bowl champion with the New York Giants and owner of Brad Benson Hyundai in Monmouth Junction, struck a Flemington man with his pickup truck after an argument, authorities allege.

The Flemington man had confronted Benson about his driving while the Hillsborough resident sat in his pickup outside the Neshanic Inn on Woodfern Road at about 3 a.m. on March 17, Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey Soriano said.

After an argument, Benson accelerated and struck the man as he walked back to the bar, the prosecutor said.

A passenger in Benson’s truck, John Palazzo, was also indicted for allegedly lying to authorities about the incident.

Palazzo, 24, of Gemini Drive, was indicted on charges of obstructing the administration of law, and hindering apprehension or prosecution for his alleged false information given to investigators following the incident in Branchburg.

Benson is free on $100,000 bail.