TLDR
Former Hillside, New Jersey, police officer John McClave was convicted of two counts of vehicular homicide after his pickup left the Garden State Parkway and struck a car on Asbury Avenue, killing married couple Angel Acevedo Jr. and Daniela Salles. Sentencing is scheduled for May 8th.
The evening commute traffic below the Garden State Parkway overpass in Monmouth County, New Jersey, was moving as usual on October 9th, 2021. Within minutes, a pickup truck that had left the elevated highway landed on a Toyota Corolla underneath, killing the two people inside.
According to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the driver of that pickup, 38-year-old Hillside police officer John McClave, was on his way to work when the crash occurred. Nearly five years later, a jury has now found him criminally responsible for the deaths of 40-year-old Acevedo and 35-year-old Salles.
From Commute to Fatal Crash
Prosecutors said McClave was driving a 2018 GMC Canyon northbound on the Garden State Parkway around 7 p.m. Acevedo was driving a 2020 Toyota Corolla on Asbury Avenue beneath the overpass, with his wife, Salles, in the passenger seat. The prosecutor’s office said McClave was driving “recklessly while under the influence of intoxicating substances.”
An internal discipline report, cited in reporting on the case, stated that McClave’s truck left the elevated roadway, traveled over an embankment, and became airborne before striking the victims’ vehicle below. Investigators concluded the pickup did not significantly slow or change direction after leaving the Parkway lanes. Responding officers from the Tinton Falls Police Department and Wayside Fire Company found Acevedo and Salles with multiple severe injuries; they were pronounced dead at the scene.
Trial Moved for Conflict Concerns
The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office investigated and charged McClave with two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide. The case was later transferred to Ocean County Superior Court because of what officials described as a potential conflict of interest in Monmouth County, a procedural step meant to preserve confidence in the trial’s fairness.
The trial lasted about a week. Jurors heard evidence about McClave’s conduct before the crash and the reconstruction of the collision itself, then returned guilty verdicts on both vehicular homicide counts. McClave, who was initially suspended without pay by the Tinton Falls Police Department, submitted his resignation from the Hillside Police Department effective August 8th, 2023, while awaiting trial, according to the discipline report.
Sentencing Exposure and Community Loss
Under New Jersey law, second-degree vehicular homicide carries a substantial prison exposure. Prosecutors said McClave faces up to 20 years in state prison, with 85 percent of any sentence required to be served before parole eligibility under the state’s No Early Release Act.
Beyond the sentencing range, public records and an obituary highlight the human impact of the crash. The obituary for Acevedo and Salles described how “anyone who knew Angel and Daniela were touched by their kindness, humor, and positivity.” It noted that the couple enjoyed hiking, hosting gatherings, and spending time with family and friends.
McClave was treated at Jersey Shore University Medical Center for serious but not life-threatening injuries after the collision. His sentencing will determine the formal punishment for the felony convictions, but the deaths of Acevedo and Salles, and the accounts of their lives, continue to frame the case for the community.
