Cops: Probe Continues Into North Jersey Cop Car Crash That Killed Two Turnpike Pedestrians

An investigation is continuing into the cop car crash involving a Washington Township Police Department officer Wednesday that killed two pedestrians on the New Jersey Turnpike, police said.

The officer who drove the car, Washington Township Police Sgt. Arsenio Pecora, 46, has not been charged in connection with the crash, police said.

According to state police, the two pedestrians, Jason Champion, 41, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Nuwnah Laroche, 34, of East Elmhurst, N.Y., were traveling in a 2001 Cadillac Escalade on Wednesday when it became disabled on the southbound side of the roadway.

Around 1:06 a.m., as the pair were walking in the left lane of the eastern spur in Secaucus near the Vince Lombardi service area, Pecora struck them in his patrol car, police said.

Both pedestrians were pronounced deceased on the scene at 4:33 a.m.

A spokesman for the state police declined to comment on the reason the two were in the roadway, citing an ongoing investigation. However, he told Patch that the victims were inside the lane marker of the roadway when they were struck.

CLEAN DRIVING RECORD, HISTORY OF DECORATION

The Washington Township Police Department (Bergen County) released a statement about the crash which emphasized that Pecora - a 20-year veteran of the force - has an “exemplary service record.”

According to the statement, Pecora serves as the Firearms Range Master, Firearms investigator, Active Shooter Instructor, Field Training Officer, Bergen County Rapid Deployment Squad Leader, Defensive Tactics Instructor, and School Security Assessment Officer.

“The Township of Washington Police Department extends their thoughts and prayers to all those involved in the tragic incident,” the release stated.

Pecora has a clean driving record, with no points on his driver’s license, suspensions or citations for driving under the influence, according to a NJ.com report.

Photo caption: Arsenio Pecora helps out at the Washington Township PBA toy drive in December of 2013. Courtesy of the Washington Township Police Department.