Belleville Man Sentenced For May 2024, Morris County Fatal Crash
Wednesday, February 19, 2025, 6:45 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
ROXBURY, NJ.- On Friday, February 14, 2025, Gerald Veneziano, 41, of Belleville, New Jersey, and former police officer, appeared in Morris County Superior Court and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Robert Hanna to 6 years in New Jersey State Prison subject to the No Early Release Act, which will require Veneziano to serve 85% of his custodial term before becoming eligible for parole.
According to Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, on January 6, 2025, Veneziano appeared in Superior Court and pleaded guilty before Judge Hanna to second-degree Reckless Vehicular Homicide; and Driving While Under the Influence in connection with his role in May’s Roxbury, New Jersey, fatal motor vehicle collision that claimed the life of a 19-year-old Flanders, New Jersey man.
In handing down the sentence on Friday, in addition to the prison sentence, Judge Hanna ordered Veneziano to pay $8,961 in restitution to the victim’s family.
The guilty plea and sentence stem from an investigation that began on May 31, 2024, when, around 10:30 p.m., members of the Roxbury Police Department and First Responders responded to reports of a serious two-vehicle collision on Howard Boulevard in Roxbury. Upon arrival, Police Officers and First Responders located and learned that a 2019 Mazda M3 was traveling Southbound on Howard Boulevard when it was struck by a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado traveling Northbound on Howard Boulevard.
The driver of the Mazda, Jacob Davis, 19, of Flanders, succumbed to injuries he sustained in the collision and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The driver of the Chevrolet Silverado, identified as Veneziano, sustained serious injuries and was transported to Morristown Medical Center for treatment.
During the ensuing investigation, investigators of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and the Roxbury Police Department determined that after finding numerous empty alcohol containers around Veneziano’s vehicle, further investigation uncovered that Veneziano was driving under the influence of alcohol and was traveling at around 90 miles per hour when he struck Mazada and killed Mr. Davis. Following the investigation, Veneziano was subsequently charged.
