NJ State Police detective convicted in fatal 2023 high-speed chase
A New Jersey State Police detective has been convicted in connection with a fatal 2023 high-speed chase in Burlington County that ended with the death of a 24-year-old Queens motorcyclist.
A Camden County jury on Wednesday found Mark Campagna, 47, of Mays Landing, guilty of fourth-degree endangering another person after an approximately weeklong trial before Superior Court Judge Gwendolyn Blue. Prosecutors said Campagna knowingly created a substantial risk of serious bodily injury to Omar Kebbabi during a June 20, 2023 pursuit in Springfield Township.
The case was investigated and prosecuted by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability.
According to trial testimony and court filings, Campagna was off duty and driving an unmarked take-home State Police vehicle when he encountered Kebbabi on Route 206 several miles before the crash. Campagna said he intended only to obtain the motorcycle’s license plate number, not initiate a stop.
Authorities said both vehicles traveled at speeds exceeding 100 mph as Campagna followed Kebbabi through multiple lane changes without activating lights or sirens or notifying law enforcement, as required under the attorney general’s vehicular pursuit policy.
Shortly before 4:50 p.m., Kebbabi collided with a civilian vehicle making a left turn at the intersection of Route 206 and Jacksonville-Jobstown Road in Springfield Township. Both drivers had a green light, authorities said. Kebbabi was pronounced dead at the scene after a Springfield police officer rendered aid. The other driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
The encounter was captured on surveillance footage and later by a municipal police officer’s dashboard camera after the officer began following Campagna, unsure whether he was law enforcement, according to prosecutors.
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport called the pursuit “needless and reckless.”
“There is no evidence showing any lawful objective behind this pursuit,” Davenport said in a statement. “This was a needless and reckless high-speed chase that put not only the victim, but also every other driver on the road, in grave danger. And it ended in tragedy.”
Campagna faces up to 18 months in state prison and a fine of up to $10,000. Under state law, conviction of an indictable offense results in the revocation of an officer’s police license. Sentencing is scheduled for July 30.
Krystal Knapp is the founder of The Jersey Vindicator and the hyperlocal news website Planet Princeton. Previously she was a reporter at The Trenton Times for a decade.