A young man is dead after fleeing police, the Howell Police Department said today.
Early Sunday morning at approximately 1:00 am, Midnight Squad Sergeant Rich Conte #249 was on Tinton Falls Road when he identified an approaching vehicle traveling 56 MPH in a posted 25 MPH speed limit zone.
As Sergeant Conte turned his patrol vehicle around to initiate a motor vehicle stop, the driver accelerated onto Asbury Ave. As Sergeant Conte attempted to catch up to this vehicle, the driver began passing other motorists in “no-passing” zones and around curves in the roadway. Unable to close the gap on the vehicle, Sergeant Conte activated his emergency lights and sirens to make the driver aware of the police presence and get him to stop. The driver ignored the police presence and continued driving recklessly onto Southard Ave, accelerating to over 100MPH and disregarding two red traffic signals in the process.
Sgt. Conte was still not able to identify the license plate or close the distance on the vehicle. Due to his speed the driver could not negotiate the curve in the roadway near the Howell Golf Course on Southard Avenue and lost control of his vehicle. The vehicle left the roadway, sideswiped a utility pole and struck a wooden fence and tree.
Sergeant Conte was not behind the vehicle when the crash occurred however he pulled up to the scene shortly thereafter. Sergeant Conte attempted first-aid on the driver however it was apparent he was deceased. The total length of time from Sgt. Conte’s initial observation of the speeding violation to his arrival at the crash was approximately 2 minutes 42 seconds with a distance of approximately 3.3 miles.
The driver was identified as 25 year-old Marlboro resident Brian Fani. He was operating a 2009 Subaru Legacy. An autopsy revealed the cause of death to be blunt force trauma. Toxicology results will take several weeks.
This incident remains under investigation. As per policy, whenever there is a death or serious bodily injury during a pursuit and/or use of force, the county prosecutor’s office is involved. This is to ensure an impartial review and determination of the facts. After their review is completed, the Chief of Police and internal affairs unit of the Howell Police Department will conduct a separate investigation to ensure all department policies were followed. Sergeant Conte will remain on full-duty without any restrictions.
Chief Kudrick stated, “Regardless of the circumstances, a young man lost his life. We remind everyone the consequences of actions. Legal problems can be resolved. A life cannot be replaced. Sadly, a family has now been forever affected. The Howell Police Department extends our condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Fani.”
If anyone has additional information regarding this case, please contact Detective Cruz from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Professional Responsibilities Unit at 732-618-7369 or Howell Police Captain Rizzo at 732-938-4575 x2237 or [email protected].
Chief Andy Kudrick of Howell has a Heart of Gold. He really means what he says.
I don’t agree with this method. What if the speeding driver woulda have killed someone else? Don’t chase, when you see he’s being reckless. Radio ahead for an unmarked car to tail the driver. If he gets away, can’t help it. Don’t endanger many people with a high speed chase.
Conte is a Detective. Great guy.
Sad story.
@silly sally totally agree with you I was going to say the same thing I never understood these police chases ok this guy was driving pretty recklessly and dangerous.. but so many of these chases you see on you tube or the like start off for some minor offense and they end up on some high speed chase with cars driving the wrong way on highways at high speeds putting 100s of people in danger just to get a guy who made an an illegal turn or some other minor offense…
Absolutely don’t chase if it gets heated. This comes from the gotchya approach and not being able to back down once they attempt a stop. The officers need to always keep in mind that its human vs human regardless of drivers previous offences. Just because he stupidly disregards authority is not a reason to perdurable him as a sub human timebomb threat to mankind. Officers need to take a step back and take it easy. There was no known threat prior in this case to cause this chase and havoc. Sometimes the almighty officer will loose the vehicle and life will continue.