Two New Jersey State Police troopers have been punished for their alleged roles in facilitating a high-speed caravan of luxury vehicles at speeds of more than 100 mph.
The New Jersey Attorney General’s office announced Monday that Sgt. First Class Nadir Nassry, 47, assigned to Totowa Station, and Trooper Joseph Ventrella, 28, assigned to the Troop B Tactical Patrol had both been suspended without pay. Nassry has been a trooper for 25 years and Ventrella has been on the force for six years.
Video posted to YouTube showed footage from an incident two years ago, but authorities said a similar scene played out last month and now the two troopers are paying the price.
Gov. Chris Christie also weighed in on the matter Monday, saying the alleged state trooper escort of the caravan was a “dumb thing to do.”
“I just shook my head. You know, what are you gonna do? It’s a completely ridiculous story. It shouldn’t have happened, dumb thing to do, but let me assure you it’s not the last dumb thing that we’ll see happen,” Christie said Monday.
New Jersey’s Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa is investigating the so-called “Death Race” involving Porsches, Lamborghinis and Ferraris down the Garden State Parkway. All the vehicles’ license plates were covered with tape, witnesses have said.
“We will not tolerate any conduct by a member of the State Police that puts the public in jeopardy, as this unauthorized caravan had the potential to do,” Chiesa said in a statement.
(Source: WCBSTV)
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4 Responses
How do you even coordinate an escort at 100 mph?!? I mean seriously!!!
They should be fired and charged with reckless endangerment.
I have mixed feelings on this story.
Definitely it was a dumb thing to do, and it should never have happened. But, hey, in any business the guys at the top take certain leeways. There is always someone who is a friend of someone at the top, and arranges some extra perk for someone. What can you do, it happens. Big deal.
Think about Sgt. First Class Nadir Nassry though. Yeah, he made a stupid mistake & he should be punished. But he’s on the force for 25 years!! How many times in those 25yrs. did he put his life in danger for us citizens? Personally, I think he should get some kind of break on this.
Yes but who authorized the rides?
State Troopers don’t just walk out of the barracks and take a state police car on their own. Were Trooper Ventrella and Sgt. Nassry on their own time or was this an assignment on their schedule for the day? If they were following their schedule how could they say ‘No I’m not doing that.’ The rides have happened in 2011 and before; it is just that 2012 and 2010 rides are on film. Oops!!! Did Trooper Ventrella and Sgt. Nassry lead the rides previously? Hmm!