Driver Who Killed 2 In Wildwood Car Rally Sentenced

WILDWOOD, NJ — One of the drivers in 2022's unsanctioned car rally in Wildwood whose actions led to the deaths of two will be going to prison for 25 years, the Cape May County Prosecutor's Office announced Thursday.

Gerald White, a participant in the H20i pop-up car show in Sept. 2022, was sentenced to 25 years on two counts of aggravated manslaughter and ten years on two counts of aggravated assault, to be served concurrently, Prosecutor Jeffrey H. Sutherland and Wildwood Police Chief Joseph Murphy announced in a joint news release.

The sentence is subject to the No Early Release Act, so White will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole.

On that night of Sept. 24, 2022, police were called to the area of Burk and Atlantic avenues at about 9:36 p.m. for the report of a multi-vehicle crash involving pedestrians, authorities said.

When police arrived, they found that White, driving a 2003 Infinity, had tried to flee the scene but he was quickly apprehended, authorities said.

White had struck a 2014 Honda Civic and then hit two pedestrians, authorities said. One of the pedestrians, 18-year-old Lindsay Weakland from Carlisle, PA, died at the scene, according to officials.

A passenger of the Honda Civic, Clayton, NJ resident Timothy Ogden, 37, was hospitalized but died from his injuries, officials said.

“Gerald White was in Wildwood participating in an unsanctioned, illegal car rally that resulted in multiple motor vehicle accidents, traffic citations, criminal charges, and injuries to innocent victims, including the two deaths and injuries that resulted in Mr. White’s conviction and sentence,” Sutherland and Murphy said.

At least four were arrested in connection with the event.

“The tragic deaths of Lindsay Weakland and Timothy Ogden are heart breaking losses for their friends, loved ones and family that can never be overcome,” Sutherland said. “I am proud of the work done by the Detectives, Assistant Prosecutors and the Victim-Witness Unit in my office and the members of the Wildwood Police Department that made sure justice was done for their families. Anyone considering engaging in an illegal, unsanctioned car rally should be forewarned that it will not be tolerated by law enforcement, and we will use the full force of the law to make certain justice is served.”