Two New Jersey State Police officers who escorted a
high-speed caravan of luxury cars, including one driven by former New
York Giants star Brandon Jacobs, to Atlantic City will likely be
charged criminally Friday, according to a source familiar with the
investigation.
Sgt.
1st Class Nassir Nassry, a 25-year-veteran of the State Police, and
trooper Joseph Ventrella, 28, were suspended in April without pay after
the incident in March. Nassry allegedly ordered Ventrella to help with
the caravan.
The escort down the Garden State
Parkway at speeds believed at times to be in excess of 100 mph made
national headlines after one motorist who was passed by the
Lamborghinis, Porches and other expensive, exotic cars described it as
"Death Race 2012."
No one was hurt, and there were no accidents as the convoy drove from north Jersey to Atlantic City.
Video
of the incident by a construction worker appeared to show that some of
the vehicles had tape over their license plates, which apparently
prompted the Attorney General's office to consider filing criminal
charges in the case, the source familiar with the investigation said.
Nassry
filed his retirement papers Thursday morning, just hours before his
attorney, Charles Sciarra, was to hold a news conference in which he
was expected to sharply criticize the Attorney General's office for
pursuing the criminal charges, NBC 4 New York has learned.
The incident could prove costly for Sgt. Nassry, who otherwise has an unblemished record with the State Police.
One
estimate suggested if he loses his pension, either through conviction
or plea bargaining, it would amount to a $3 million fine, the maximum
the 47-year-old veteran could otherwise expect to collect over his
lifetime.
NJ Attorney General Jeff Chiesa is
expected to announce a new policy for car escorts Friday, as well as
internal disciplinary action against several other troopers who were
involved in a similar caravan in 2010 that was caught on video and
posted on YouTube.
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