Trooper Charged In NJ High-Speed Caravan Escort Surrenders
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- One of the two New Jersey state troopers facing criminal charges for their alleged roles in a high-speed escort of caravans of luxury cars down the Garden State Parkway has turned himself in.
Attorney Charles Sciarra told The Star-Ledger that Sgt. 1st Class Nadir Nassry met with authorities Monday morning and was released a short time later. Sciarra says no arraignment date has been.
Nassry, 47, an assistant station commander and 25-year-veteran who recently submitted his retirement papers, plans to fight the charges, Sciarra said.
It was not known when the other trooper charged in the case, Joseph Ventrella, would surrender. Ventrella's attorney, Vincent K. Nuzzi, has said his client did not engage in any criminal wrongdoing.
Nassry and Ventrella were suspended without pay in April after witnesses said they saw the caravan speeding down the Garden State Parkway escorted by two state police cars.
Witnesses said that the state police patrol cars — with emergency lights flashing — were driving in front of and behind the caravan, which included Porsches, Lamborghinis and Ferraris at speeds of more than 100 mph.
State prosecutors have said the two troopers sought to conceal their involvement in the escort by using electrical tape to alter their license plates.
Sciarra has said his client denies any knowledge of plate taping.
Besides the criminal charges filed against Nassry and Ventrella, administrative charges also were brought against four other members of the state police in connection with a high-speed escort in 2010. A fifth trooper faces administrative charges for his handling of a ticket issued to the operator of a Lamborghini clocked at 116 mph, also in 2010.
(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
