Two NJ Troopers Charged In High-Speed Escort on Garden State Parkway
By David Madden and Jericka Duncan
TRENTON, N.J. (CBS) -- Two suspended New Jersey state troopers are facing criminal charges after last March's high-speed police escort of luxury cars from the Meadowlands to Atlantic City (see previous story).
Twenty-five year veteran sergeant Nadir Nassry is said to have recruited trooper Joseph Ventrella for the escort that, at times, exceeded 100 miles per hour on the Garden State Parkway.
And New Jersey attorney general Jeffrey Chiesa says the pair took steps to shield themselves from scrutiny.
"We allege that these two troopers altered the license plates on their two troop cars by using black electrical tape to change the numbers on the plates." And, Chiesa told reporters today, Nassry supposedly told many of the civilian drivers to do the same.
Chiesa does not expect to file charges against the civilian drivers -- it's too late to give them speeding tickets. But a new, strict escort policy is now in effect for state police, requiring documentation for every one, and an order to stay to the right and keep within the speed limit.
Two other troopers and two supervisors are facing internal charges following a similar escort in 2010. A fifth is accused of improperly handling a ticket given to a luxury car driver in an unrelated incident. All five are unidentified and could face unpaid suspensions if found guilty.
