Philadelphia man was sentenced Friday in connection to a 2015 one-vehicle crash on the Atlantic City Expressway in Egg Harbor Township that killed his passenger, Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon G. Tyner announced.
Officials say Rashad E. Caswell, 31, of Philadelphia, PA, was sentenced by the Honorable Donna Taylor, J.S.C. to eight years in New Jersey State Prison for which 85% must be served before parole. Caswell pleaded guilty to first degree Aggravated Manslaughter on April 30, 2018.
According to authorities, on February 28, 2015 at 10:08 p.m., New Jersey State Police and emergency medical services personnel responded to a one-car motor vehicle accident near milepost 7.5 on the eastbound side of the Atlantic City Expressway, in Egg Harbor Township.
Upon arrival, State Police found a white 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix off the highway in the wooded area at the base of a steep embankment, the passenger-side of the car impacted with a tree.
Officials say the vehicle was occupied by two persons at the time of police arrival: the driver, Caswell, and the front-seat passenger and registered owner, Cierra J. Goodman, 27, of Sharon Hill, Pennsylvania. State Troopers extracted the critically-injured Goodman from the vehicle and administered life-saving resuscitation measures to her without success.
According to police, Goodman was later pronounced dead at the scene by Dr. Dombchewsky of AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center—City Campus. Caswell was transported to the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center—City Campus for treatment of injuries.
This was a joint investigation by the New Jersey State Police Fatal Accident Investigation Unit and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Anyone with information involving serious crimes is asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office at 609-909-7800 or go to the Prosecutor’s Office Web site at http://www.acpo.org/tips.html and provide information by filling out the form anonymously on the Submit a Tip page. People can also call Crime Stoppers at 609-652-1234 or 1-800-658-8477 (TIPS) or visit the Crime Stoppers Website at http://www.crimestoppersatlantic.com/. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest and indictment of those who commit crimes in Atlantic County.