13 Years In Prison For Piscataway Drag Racer Who Killed Principal

PISCATAWAY, NJ — The young man who prosecutors say was drag racing down Stelton Road in Piscataway last fall — when he struck and killed the vice-principal of New Brunswick High School — was sentenced Wednesday to serve 13 years in prison for the death.

Freddy S. Garcia Jr., 22, of Piscataway also admitted he fled the scene after he hit the vice principal, Tyrone Harrison, 49. Harrison's death comes at a time when drag racing is sharply on the rise in Middlesex County, warns the former county prosecutor.

Garcia was sentenced to 10 years for vehicular homicide, subject to the No Early Release Act. As such, he must serve the first 8 ½ years of his prison term before becoming eligible for parole. Garcia was also sentenced to three years for leaving the scene of an accident, which will run consecutive to the 10-year sentence.

The tragic death occurred on Saturday, October 6, 2018: Harrison had just gotten off a train at the nearby NJ Transit station in Edison, about a mile away. He lived in Somerset, but was walking that evening to a family member's house nearby.

At 9:17 p.m. that night, as Harrison neared the intersection with Ethel Road on foot, he was struck by Garcia's 2003 Honda Accord. The county prosecutor at the time, Andrew Carey, said the car was part of a trio of vehicles that had been seen drag racing up and down Stelton Road just minutes earlier. Carey says the drivers are part of the "78 Imports" club, a group that posts meet-ups on Facebook to drag race on public roads.

The driver that hit him — later identified as Garcia — stopped the car, got out and fled the scene, said a spokeswoman for Carey's office. Garcia's car, pictured above, was found abandoned by the side of Stelton Road. Later, Garcia falsely reported that his car, which was not registered or insured, had been stolen.

Harrison never even made it to the hospital: He was pronounced dead at the scene that Saturday night.

Prosecutor: Drag racing on the rise in Central Jersey

"(Harrison's) tragic death was entirely preventable and unnecessary. Drag racing on public roads is dangerous and irresponsible," said county prosecutor Carey at the time.

Carey also told CBS 2 at the time that drag racing on Middlesex County roads is on the rise. Additionally, densely-populated Middlesex County already has the highest number of fatal crashes in the entire state.

In July of 2016, Patch reported how two young men in their 20s were killed while they were drag racing along Rt. 18 north in New Brunswick. Their families told the media they had been drag racing when their Honda Accord lost control just past the exit ramp for Rt. 27. The car flew through a wooded area and plunged into the Raritan River. One man was ejected from the car and his body was found outside nearby; the other likely drowned to death inside, police said.

Harrison was a husband, father and played fullback for Ohio State

Harrison has strong roots to the area: In addition to being the New Brunswick High vice principal, he was a high school football standout at Highland Park High School. After high school, he played fullback at Ohio State University, MyCentralJersey reported.

He was something of an institution at New Brunswick High, having been the school's vice principal for 17 years. He got his start as a math teacher and rose to become a vice principal. There, standing at over six feet tall, he was known as a "gentle giant" among the hallways of New Brunswick High. He looked out for troubled students, but never raised his voice.

"He was a very good man, a caring person, a lovable person," former student Troy Wilcox told CBS 2 News. "Had a lot of respect here, he got me out of trouble a few times. I'm still kind of shocked."

Ken Redler, principal at New Brunswick High School, called Harrison "the most peaceful man in the world."

"(He) walked in the hallway always listening," Redler told NBC 4.

Indeed, Harrison was an educator who didn't give up on challenging students, "especially those for whom others have lost hope," according to his bio on Project Exceed, a college-readiness organization based in Metuchen that Harrison was a part of.

He left behind a wife and a teenage son.

Garcia pleaded guilty on May 31 of this year to vehicular homicide, knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, causing death while driving with a suspended license and filing a false report.

When Garcia is released from prison, he will lose his license for three years.

Officer Meredith Robbins of the Piscataway Police Department and Detective Jonathan Berman of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office led the investigation and made the arrests in this case.

Initial Patch report in this fatal incident: Vice Principal Of New Brunswick High Killed By Car Drag Racing (Oct. 2018)

2 Men Killed in Raritan River Crash Were Drag Racing, Family Says (July 2016)