Ex-Hillside Detective Sentenced to 17 Years After Fatal Tinton Falls Crash
A former New Jersey police detective has been sentenced to 17 years in state prison after prosecutors said he caused a deadly crash while impaired by marijuana, killing a married couple in Monmouth County in 2021.
John P. McClave III, 39, of Toms River, received two consecutive prison terms of eight years and six months each on Friday, bringing the total sentence to 17 years. According to prosecutors, he must serve nearly 14 years and six months before becoming eligible for parole.
McClave, who previously worked as a detective with the Hillside Police Department, was convicted in March on two counts of vehicular manslaughter. The trial was handled in Ocean County after the case was moved from Monmouth County because of what prosecutors described as a potential conflict of interest.
The fatal crash happened on the evening of Oct. 9, 2021, near a Garden State Parkway overpass on Asbury Avenue in Tinton Falls. Authorities said McClave was driving to work at around 7:30 p.m. when the collision occurred.
The victims, Angel L. Acevedo Jr., 40, and his wife, Daniela Correia Salles, 35, both from Baltimore, Maryland, died at the scene after their vehicle was struck. Their deaths shocked both local residents and the victims’ family members, who later followed the case through the court process.
Investigators said McClave’s pickup truck failed to slow down or change direction after leaving the parkway lanes. Prosecutors stated the truck became airborne after striking an embankment before crashing into the couple’s passenger vehicle.
Court records showed that a blood sample taken from McClave tested positive for THC, the active substance commonly found in marijuana. Authorities also said alcohol was present in his system, although he was not considered legally intoxicated under state law.
McClave suffered serious injuries in the crash but survived. He was treated at Jersey Shore University Medical Center following the incident.
The former detective was suspended without pay after charges were filed against him in March 2022. Following his conviction earlier this year, the sentencing officially closed one of the more closely watched vehicular homicide cases involving a law enforcement officer in New Jersey.
As of Thursday, jail records showed McClave remained held at the Ocean County Jail while awaiting transfer to a state prison facility.
The case has continued to draw attention because it involved a police officer and allegations of impaired driving resulting in the deaths of two innocent people. Prosecutors argued throughout the trial that the evidence clearly showed reckless driving and impairment contributed to the fatal collision.
Sources:
Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office
New Jersey Courts
Ocean County Jail Records
