You wanna speed? No prob we'll help ya!

[VINMAN]

Couldnt think of a good title for this thread.

N.J. Attorney General's Office investigating 'Death Race 2012' down Parkway to AC | NJ.com

N.J. Attorney General's Office investigating 'Death Race 2012' down Parkway to AC
Published: Sunday, April 22, 2012, 2:24 PM Updated: Monday, April 23, 2012, 9:00 AM
By Christopher Baxter/Statehouse Bureau The Star-Ledger


View full sizePorsche AGA file photo of a Porsche. In complaints obtained by The Star-Ledger, witnesses said that in the early afternoon of March 30, they saw two State Police patrol cars with their emergency lights flashing driving in front of and behind the southbound caravan, which included dozens of Porsches, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and other vehicles, all with their license plates covered with tape.


TRENTON — Embarrassing allegations that two state troopers escorted a high-speed caravan of sports cars to Atlantic City last month without regard for the safety of other drivers galvanized state officials from the governor’s office on down today.

"This is a very serious and disturbing matter for a couple of reasons but particularly in terms of the disregard for public safety by all those allegedly involved," a spokesman for Gov. Chris Christie, Michael Drewniak, told The Star-Ledger in a prepared statement.

Drewniak said Christie — a former U.S. Attorney in New Jersey who often boasts of his record of being tough on crime and corruption — is confident the State Police and Attorney General’s Office "will act swiftly and appropriately after all the facts are verified and considered."

Paul Loriquet, a spokesman for Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa, said the matter was being taken "very seriously" and that New Jerseyans can expect accountability.

"This is a very disturbing situation, one that the attorney general and the superintendent of the State Police take very seriously," Loriquet said. "Anyone responsible for this incident clearly exercised extremely poor judgment. Swift action will be taken upon completion of our investigation."

The responses came hours after The Sunday Star-Ledger disclosed charges that on the afternoon of March 30, two patrol cars with flashing emergency lights led and trailed the southbound caravan down the Garden State Parkway. Witnesses said the caravan included 25 to 30 Porsches, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and other vehicles, all with their license plates covered with tape.

One witness, Wayne Gantt of Little Egg Harbor Township, dubbed the escort "Death Race 2012."

Four sources familiar with the trip, including two law enforcement sources, said the caravan was led by Sgt. 1st Class Nadir Nassry of Phillipsburg, an assistant station commander in the State Police’s Totowa substation. Nassry could not be reached for comment, and no one answered when a reporter knocked on the front door of his home today.

The sources requested anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss the matter.

Gantt and another witness, John Kennedy of Madison, filed complaints with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which oversees the parkway. They said many drivers struggled to get out of the way of the caravan, including one older driver who panicked and almost wound up in a ditch.

The complaints were obtained Friday by The Star-Ledger using the Open Public Records Act.

The occupants of the caravan included former Giants running back Brandon Jacobs, according to a source with knowledge of the trip. When asked to confirm that the NFL player was part of the luxury car blitz, Jacobs’ agent, Justin Schulman, told The Sunday Star-Ledger: "Brandon was part of a group that went down to Atlantic City on March 30."

Schulman expanded on his comments today in an e-mail statement, saying, "Brandon did go to (Atlantic City) that day but wasn’t aware of the details of the police escort."

State Police Col. Rick Fuentes did not return an e-mail and phone call seeking comment. A spokesman for the State Police, Lt. Stephen Jones, has declined to say if the caravan was authorized and did not identify the troopers involved, citing the confidentiality of the investigation. Today, Jones also declined to comment on Nassry’s driving record as a trooper.

In addition to Christie and Chiesa, the matter drew condemnation from the Legislature.

"Public safety must always be paramount," Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-Essex) said in a prepared statement. "I’m hopeful the investigation will determine exactly what happened here, and if wrongdoing is found those responsible must be held accountable."

If the sports cars in the caravan had their license plates covered with tape, as a witness said they did, they broke the law, according to Mike Horan, a spokesman for the state Motor Vehicle Commission. A first offense is punishable with a fine of up to $100.

"The plates have to be clearly visible," Horan said.

A spokesman for the Turnpike Authority, Tom Feeney, said there are cameras at the Parkway’s tolls that may have captured the trip, but any videos and images by law are not considered public records and can only be released under order from a judge in a criminal investigation.

The trip came two days after Jacobs, a two-time Super Bowl champion, agreed to terms of a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers.

Jacobs, who is known for his collection of flashy sports cars, told Rides Magazine in October that he often cruises with the Driving Force Club. The elite New York City-based group is "for all car fanatics with a spice of racing and adrenalin rush in their hearts," according to its website.

Two videos posted to YouTube.com depicted a caravan of sports cars from the club returning from Atlantic City on March 31, and captions on the videos said the caravan included Jacobs. The videos were removed from the website today.

Star-Ledger staff writers James Queally and Eric Sagara contributed to this report.

Previous coverage:

• N.J. state troopers face probe for 'Death Race 2012' down Parkway to AC

[nota]

but cops drive like that all the time!!!

I guess the news is the cars in the middle ?

or if the cops got paid ?

[Brando]

"Lead By Example" - Yeah right.

[Mark Henry]

This link has video of the incident, guys making the vid are wankers, but I'd be pissed about this. Heavy traffic, weaving in and out endangering other drivers. You have to wonder WTF these LEO's were thinking.

Video: N.J. State Police lead luxury cars down Parkway at high speeds | NJ.com

[futuresoptions]

Hmmm... Haves and have nots....

[VINMAN]

This is HUGE news here. The public is out for blood over it.

[VINMAN]

Wow, really though there would be more interest and opinions on this, from you guys.

[Joe Bob]

Video: N.J. State Police lead luxury cars down Parkway at high speeds | NJ.com

[kimlangley7]

There should be a couple of NJ troopers looking for some new jobs

this is such total BS>> so you are filthy rich and have a GT-40 / GT-3 whatever... that does not permit you to use PUBLIC / semi-conjested roadways as your personal plaything

take it to the track > I say fire the cops and for the participants >> they get hit with reckless...

[Icemaster]

I would howl if I was surprised.

[911_Dude]

The incident is totally outrageous on a number of levels.

But the guys filming the vid are hilarious dorks.

[TimT]

I always loved the NJ Troopers uniforms..

Waffen SS?

They are already lining up the "they have been doing this for years"defense

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by TimT

I always loved the NJ Troopers uniforms..

Waffen SS?

They do look like the Totenkopfverbaende. Philly cops look just as sinister.

[David]

Pretty stupid... and awesome at the same time. It sucks that there's a video of it though

[strupgolf]

Originally Posted by 911_dude

the incident is totally outrageous on a number of levels.

But the guys filming the vid are hilarious dorks.

+1000

[Mark Henry]

Attorney General's Office Investigates State Police Escorts of Sports Cars - YouTube

Members of the Driving Force Club and former New York Giant Brandon Jacobs.

[Mark Henry]

Apparently the first video was from 2010, called NJ State Police "Death Race" 2010.
The original video was 14 minutes long.
NJ State Police "Death Race" 2010 - YouTube

[VINMAN]

I really hope they find a way to bag every one of those a-holes and slap them with every fine possible. License suspensions, impound, the max.

[Rick Lee]

Can those drivers get in trouble if the whole thing was sanctioned and escorted by the state police? Sounds like they had a get out of jail free card.

[VINMAN]

From what I'm hearing, nothing was sanctioned. Every car had its plate covered up. Why??? A driver was run onto the median when he was trying to get out of the troopers way. No excuse for this crap.