NJ Man Found Guilty In Fatal Hit-And-Run—Immediately Pardoned By Phil Murphy

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — On Jan. 20, 2026 an Atlantic City man was found guilty of fleeing the scene after striking and killing a man with his car in 2022. But it didn't matter, as he was pardoned by Gov. Phil Murphy also on Jan. 20, 2026.

Harris Jacobs, 28, struck and killed Orlando Fraga, 76, also from Atlantic City at about 3:35 a.m. on the 1800 block of Atlantic Avenue in Atlantic City on Sept. 4, 2022, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said.

Surveillance video showed Jacobs getting out of his car, walking to Fraga, and on two separate occasions, leaning over Fraga’s body lying in the roadway, authorities said. Jacobs then returned to his motor vehicle and drove away. He never notified law enforcement.

A jury found him guilty Tuesday, the same day as Murphy's last day in office. As he left office, Murphy granted 97 pardons and 51 commutations of prison sentences - including for Jacobs.

“Today, as I announce what will be among my final acts in office, I am reminded that our clemency initiative was never about numbers — it was about people,” Murphy said in a statement. “Each pardon and commutation represents a story of accountability, growth, and redemption.”

This was a retrial for Jacobs; his first trial ended in a hung jury, according to BreakingAC.