The mayor of a Northern New Jersey town tried to help stop a crime but ended up committing one, a new lawsuit alleges — by chasing a fleeing car that crashed, killing two.
Mark Freda, 66, elected mayor of Princeton in 2020, sprang into action while behind the wheel of his SUV on the afternoon of Nov. 7, 2021, when he saw authorities chasing a jeep stolen by some teenagers. pack states.
Freda, a longtime member of the local emergency services, is also a first responder and activated the blue emergency light on his vehicle to press charges.
The ensuing chain of events remains unclear, but culminated in the fleeing car, driven by 15-year-old Damajia Jenay ‘Majia’ Horner, crashing into oncoming traffic, killing another motorist. Horner, a teenage girl from Newark, also died.
The head-on collision killed the driver of the other car, 61-year-old Rutgers administrator Jodi Marcou, at the scene. Her husband David Marcou now claims that by activating his ambulance lights and intervening, Freda is partly responsible.
Mark Freda, 66, elected mayor of Princeton in 2020, allegedly sprang into action in November 2021 while behind the seat of his SUV when he saw police chasing a jeep stolen by some teenagers. The car eventually crashed, killing and killing another motorist
The resulting head-on collision killed 61-year-old Rutgers staffer Jodi Marcou. Her husband, David Marcou (right), claims Freda, who is also a first responder, is partly responsible
“Freda had no formal authority to activate his blue lights and to conduct any form of pursuit or high-speed pursuit of the vehicle Horner was driving,” reads a portion of the lawsuit, amended to implicate Freda last month.
“(Freda) was not authorized to conduct such light activation or any form of pursuit or pursuit,” and “knew or reasonably should have known that by (activating the EMS lights) it would result in, participating to, cause and/or result in a hazardous result’
The mayor’s intervention posed “a palpably unreasonable risk of serious or life-threatening injury to the public and motorists.”
Left in mourning along with his two adult children, David sues not only the mayor, but also the city and the surviving members of Horner’s family. He calls their actions careless, reckless, negligent and directly related to Marcou’s death.
The lawsuit is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, as well as cash for such things as attorney hospital fees, funeral expenses, and costs related to the family’s mental health.
So far, the town of 30,000 has established a bench in Veterans Park in memory of Marcou — a move taken shortly after David first filed suit against Horner’s estate and several others in Middlesex County, including the town .
It was amended to include the claim that Freda knew or should have known that activating his EMS device would result in a ‘dangerous reaction’.
Unnamed in the lawsuit is the unidentified 14-year-old passenger who accompanied Horner on the ill-fated joyride, which began several miles away on Clover Lane. The teens took the vehicle, a jeep, from a house in Pequannock.
The unnamed accomplice was reportedly seriously injured but survived, while another teenager, reportedly part of the thieves’ party, joined the chase in another car stolen from Princeton’s Clover Lane.
Photos from the scene show not only the red SUV, but both totalitarian vehicles after they went off the road
The driver of the fleeing car, 15-year-old Damajia Jenay ‘Majia’ Horner, was also killed in the crash. Her family is named as a defendant in the lawsuit for failing to properly supervise the teen
David Marcou — seen here at a bank the city established in memory of his late wife — is suing Freda, the city, Horner’s family and several others in Middlesex County. He claims that Freda knew or should have known that activating his EMS device would result in a “dangerous reaction.”
A 911 call from that home sparked the chase, with the Jeep speeding through the affluent community in broad daylight while the other stolen car — a Range Rover — followed close behind.
Police eventually stopped pursuing the Range Rover after it passed the Jeep, police said after the incident, forcing them to follow Horner and his unnamed, alleged accomplice. The Range Rover was later found in Newark, where both teenagers lived.
The chase becomes somewhat shrouded at this point – with it currently unclear how, or even if, police continued to track the vehicle driven by Horner.
However, about 30 minutes later, an accident involving the Jeep and Marcou’s 2016 Acura occurred – on Route 27 (Princeton-Kingston Road) near Carnegie Drive. Sometime between that period, Freda got involved.
Police at the time said the crash happened after the Jeep crossed the double yellow line and hit Marcou’s vehicle.
Photos from the scene show not only the red SUV, but both totalitarian vehicles after they went off the road – with Marcou’s car nearly upright.
Marcou spent a long time at Rutgers University, where she worked as a development specialist
The lawyer said on Wednesday he could not comment on the details of the lawsuit, but that their investigation showed Freda had “significant involvement in the case.”
Marcou worked at Rutgers for many years and spent more than twenty years as a development specialist at the university.
According to her obituary, she enjoyed meditation, cards, and mahjong, and her favorite pastimes included walking with her husband — whose lawyer said he could not comment on the details of the lawsuit, but that their investigation had revealed that Freda’ significant involvement. in the business.’
The attorney, Nicholas J. Leonardis, offered the comment to NJ.com — more than a year after Princeton police made an arrest in connection with the case
At the time of the arrest, which took place in May 2022, then 19-year-old Elhajjmalik Diallo, also of Newark, was charged with hiring the teens to steal the Jeep and sentenced to one year in prison for that crime, along with several others in four other New Jersey territories. provinces.
He will be eligible for parole in September 2024 and is also named in the lawsuit filed by Marcou’s widowers.
Also mentioned is Horner’s mother, Jennifer, who is said to have failed to properly supervise her daughter, leading her to associate with the likes of Diallo and commit crimes such as car theft.
Freda’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.