Tragic Overpass Accident: Off-Duty Officer’s Vehicle Plummets, Claims Lives of Innocent Couple

On a seemingly ordinary evening in New Jersey, tragedy struck when a police officer’s drive to work took a catastrophic turn. John McClave III, a 38-year-old officer, was behind the wheel of his pickup truck when he lost control and went airborne after hitting an embankment. This resulted in a fatal collision with another vehicle, claiming the lives of a married couple.

Following the incident, McClave faced legal consequences. A jury found him guilty of two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide, as confirmed by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. The announcement marks the conclusion of a trial that spanned a week in Ocean County Superior Court, relocated to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.

On the fateful evening of October 9, 2021, McClave, an officer with the Hillside Police Department, was making his way to work around 7 p.m. At the same time, Angel Acevedo, Jr., aged 40, and his 35-year-old wife, Daniela Salles, were traveling in their 2020 Toyota Corolla. Their paths tragically crossed on the Garden State Parkway, approximately five miles from Newark.

While McClave was driving his 2018 GMC Canyon pickup, Acevedo and Salles were navigating Asbury Avenue below. The prosecution revealed that McClave was allegedly driving recklessly and under the influence of intoxicating substances, leading to the deadly crash. The case has highlighted the ongoing issues of road safety and the responsibilities of those who serve in law enforcement.

The officer was driving his 2018 GMC Canyon pickup truck on the Garden State Parkway, while Acevedo was driving himself and Salles in a 2020 Toyota Corolla on Asbury Avenue below. McClave was driving “recklessly while under the influence of intoxicating substances,” the prosecutorial agency said.

Suddenly, McClave “left the elevated roadway and landed on a vehicle on the roadway below,” a discipline report for the officer reads.

An investigation determined his pickup truck “did not change direction or slow down significantly after it left the Garden State Parkway lanes, resulting in his vehicle becoming airborne upon hitting an embankment, eventually striking the car occupied by the victims.”

Just before 7:30 p.m., members of the Tinton Falls Police Department and Wayside Fire Company responded to a report of a crash on Asbury Avenue near the Garden State Parkway overpass. Officers discovered that Acevedo and Salles had both “sustained multiple severe injuries,” and they were pronounced dead at the scene.

McClave was brought to Jersey Shore University Medical Center to be treated for “serious but not life-threatening injuries.”

The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office investigated the fatal accident, charged him with two counts of vehicular homicide, and then the Tinton Falls Police Department “immediately suspended” McClave without pay. While suspended and awaiting trial, McClave “submitted a letter of resignation from his position of police officer with the Hillside Police Department effective August 8, 2023,” the discipline report states.

McClave faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in state prison, “with 85 percent of the sentence to be served before the possibility of parole under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act (NERA),” the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office stated. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 8.

“[T]he simplest pleasures in life brought Angel and Daniela great joy,” an obituary for Acevedo and Salles reads. “They would often explore local hiking trails finding beauty in nature. They made time to have gatherings in their home and to visit family and friends no matter how near or far. Anyone who knew Angel and Daniela were touched by their kindness, humor, and positivity.”