Alleged Drag Racer Who Killed New Brunswick Vice Principal Caught

PISCATAWAY, NJ —Police say they caught the man who hit and killed a beloved New Jersey high school vice principal this week while drag racing their car before fleeing on foot.

A 21-year old man has been arrested and charged in causing the death of the 49-year old vice-principal of New Brunswick High School, who was struck and killed on Saturday night, according to a Thursday press release from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office.

Freddy S. Garcia Jr., 21, of Piscataway was arrested and charged Thursday with aggravated manslaughter, knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, causing death while driving with a suspended license, hindering and false reports to law enforcement.

In addition, Garcia was issued 12 motor vehicular summonses which include reckless driving, careless driving, racing on highway, leaving the scene involving personal injury, failure to report collision, failure to keep right, suspended driver, unlicensed driver, unregistered vehicle, uninsured vehicle, fictitious plates, and no inspection sticker, according to the release.

The victim, Tyrone Harrison of Somerset, was pronounced dead at the scene from the injuries he sustained in the fatal hit-and-run on Saturday.

“We sincerely thank all who came forward with timely information which aided the investigation and led to the current charges,” stated Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey. “We are continuing to gather evidence of this reckless criminal activity. Our thoughts and prayers remain with all of Mr. Harrison’s loved ones.”

As Patch initially reported, the incident happened this past Saturday evening, just after 9 p.m. on Stelton Road in Piscataway. 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.

Harrison has strong roots to the area: He was a high school football standout at Highland Park High School and played fullback at Ohio State University, MyCentralJersey reported, before devoting his career to education.

At 9:17 p.m. that night, as Harrison neared the intersection with Ethel Road, he was struck by an out-of-control 2003 Honda Accord. The county prosecutor says 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 stopped the car, got out and fled the scene, said a spokeswoman for Carey's office.

"This tragic death was entirely preventable and unnecessary," said the county prosecutor.

Tyrone Harrison was "a gentle giant"

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

Harrison, who is also a husband and a father, is a beloved educator of more twenty years. He got his start as a math teacher and rose to become a vice principal at New Brunswick High School. 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.”

Harrison was something of an institution at New Brunswick High, having been the school's vice principal for 17 years.

“As a school district, our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Harrison’s family. This obviously is a difficult time throughout New Brunswick public schools, and we’ve arranged for grief counselors to be available to students, faculty and staff," said New Brunswick schools superintendent Dr. Aubrey Johnson.

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.

Prosecutor: Drag racing on the rise in Central Jersey

Carey also told CBS 2 that drag racing on Middlesex County roads is on the rise.

Densely-populated Middlesex County already has the highest number of fatal crashes in the entire state. In July of 2016, we 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.

Grief counselors will be at New Brunswick High School all this week for students.

Police are urging anyone with information regarding the incident to please contact Officer Robbins at (732) 562-7652 or Detective Berman at (732) 745-4328 with the Middlesex County prosecutor's office.

Related:

Vice Principal Of New Brunswick High Killed By Car Drag Racing

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

Photo of the suspect car provided to Patch by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office