Man sentenced to 11 years for crash that shut down 287

NEWARK, NJ — Freddie Wright, 24, of Newark, was sentenced on Friday, March 4, to 11 years in New Jersey state prison by Superior Court Judge Martin G. Cronin.

On Tuesday, Jan. 5, just as the trial was about to open, Wright pled guilty to eluding and other charges. According to Assistant Prosecutor Joseph A. Giordano, who handled the case, Wright must serve 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.

“It’s a miracle more people were not hurt. This defendant shut down a major interstate,’’ said Giordano.

“This sentence is appropriate, given the fact that this defendant not only put in danger the two people he hit, but he posed a threat to many more. That day, he put hundreds of people traveling those highways in danger,’’ Giordano said.

The incident that led to his conviction and sentence occurred on Aug. 11, 2014. State police tried to pull Wright over after they ran his license plates and discovered he was traveling in a stolen Jeep Cherokee. He took the officers on a chase that began in Newark on 17th Avenue and South 19th Street. During the pursuit, Wright went on to Route 78 West, Route 24 West and 287 South, hitting a minivan and a Bernards Township police car. According to police reports, the Jeep reached speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. Following the crash, the highway was closed in both directions for hours.

Two people were injured, a civilian in the minivan and a police officer. A woman, who was eight months pregnant and a passenger in the stolen vehicle, was rushed to the hospital, where she gave birth the next day.

Wright pled guilty to second-degree eluding, second-degree aggravated assault while eluding for hitting a civilian victim, second-degree aggravated assault while eluding for hitting the Bernards police officer and third-degree leaving the scene of an accident with injuries for striking a New Jersey state trooper’s vehicle breaking the trooper’s hand. Prior to this incident, Wright had three felony convictions — two drug convictions and one carjacking. He was on probation for those crimes at the time of the car chase.  

  Sentencing