NJ Man In Deadly Crash That Reportedly Involved Fraternity Hazing

A New Jersey man was involved in a deadly crash that was possibly connected to hazing, police announced late Thursday. A fraternity was suspended after the crash.

A 23-year-old man died Thursday in the crash that took place on a Delaware roadway, police said. The left rear passenger, Marcus A. Dunn from Jersey City, was transported to the Christiana Hospital in stable condition.

The right rear passenger, Jordan A. Hannah from Rockaway Beach, NY, was transported to Kent General Hospital in stable condition, police said.

The mother of the driver, 23-year old Marlon W. Jackson of Townsend, Del., said her son fell asleep at the wheel because the fraternity he was pledging, Kappa Alpha Psi at Delaware State University, was keeping him up, according to Fox29. She said she begged him to get rest hours before the crash.

Jackson, who previously served time in the Air Force, was being sent on trips at all hours by fraternity members, family members told Fox29. His girlfriend claims he was being hazed.

The Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity is prohibited from conducting gatherings, programs or recruitment activities at the school during an investigation, according to Fox29.

The crash took place on Route 1 in Smyrna late Saturday afternoon. A 2007 Chevrolet Impala was traveling southbound on Route 1 and approaching the Route 6 overpass, when for an unknown reason the vehicle traveled into the center grass median, police said.

The Chevy began to spin counter-clockwise as it crossed the median, continuing into the Route 1 northbound lanes, and directly into the path of a 2019 Toyota Tacoma. The front end of the Toyota struck the passenger side of the Chevy, pushing it northbound for a short distance before both vehicles came to a stop in the center of the roadway.

The driver and right front passenger, Giovanni P. Downie from Brooklyn, were transported to the Christiana Hospital in critical condition. Jackson later succumbed to his injuries on Thursday.

The driver and sole occupant of the Toyota, 27-year-old Matthew A. Hoffman from Berwyn, Pa., was transported to the Christiana Hospital in stable condition. Route 1 northbound was closed for approximately 4 hours while the scene was investigated and cleared.

The crash continues to remain under investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Cpl. J. Lane of the Troop 3 Collision Reconstruction Unit at 302-698-8457. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware crime stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or via the internet at http://www.delaware.crimestoppersweb.comd.