By: Richard L. Smith
The Attorney General’s Office today released surveillance video footage related to a deadly October 17, 2022, crash in Fort Lee involving a Port Authority Police (PAPD) officer in a marked PAPD patrol vehicle.
Officials said the decedent was previously identified as Fredy Rolando Quevedo, 38, of North Bergen.
The officer driving the patrol vehicle was PAPD Officer Miguel Correa.
The fatal collision remains under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).
Officials said the recordings are being released according to policies established by the Attorney General’s Office in 2019 to promote the fair, impartial, and transparent investigation of fatal police encounters.
Investigators previously met with the family of Mr. Quevedo to give them an opportunity to review the videos before release.
According to the preliminary investigation, Officer Correa was responding to a non-emergency call, without lights and sirens on, at approximately 5:45 a.m. on October 17, 2022, traveling east on Bruce Reynolds Boulevard.
According to the AG’s office, as the officer entered the intersection at Lemoine Avenue, an electric motorcycle traveling north on Lemoine Avenue, operated by Mr. Quevedo, collided with the officer’s car.
Mr. Quevedo was transported to Englewood Hospital and was pronounced deceased at 6:27 a.m.
The videos can be viewed here: https://njoag.box.com/s/wy3e4cpmuewcd08lmkg94t0krv43069z
The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.
This investigation is being conducted pursuant to a state law enacted in January 2019 (P.L. 2019, c.1), which requires that the Attorney General’s Office conduct all investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody.
Separately, the Independent Prosecutor Directive, which was issued in December 2019, outlines a 10-step process for conducting these investigations.
The Directive establishes clear procedures governing such investigations to ensure that they are conducted in a full, impartial and transparent manner.
Under both state law and the Directive, when the entire investigation is complete, the case will be presented to a grand jury, typically consisting of 16 to 23 citizens, to make the ultimate decision regarding whether criminal charges will be filed.