NJ police officer gets prison for deadly car chase shooting

🔵 Newark cop convicted of aggravated manslaughter
🔵 Officer shot two men during chase
🔵 Both men were struck in the head

A 30-year-old former Newark police officer has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for a deadly shooting during a high-speed car chase in 2019.

Jovanny Crespo, of Newark, was convicted last summer by an Essex County jury of six counts, including aggravated manslaughter, aggravated assault and two counts of official misconduct.

RELATED: Newark police officer Jovanny Crespo convicted in deadly shooting

He must serve just under 23 years of that term before becoming eligible for parole, Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens said on Friday.

During the trial in July 2023, prosecutors said 46-year-old Gregory Griffin was driving the car that had eluded police, when he was struck in the back of the head by one of seven shots that Crespo took at the vehicle.

The events were caught on body cameras worn by both Crespo and another officer, who first attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle.

Front seat passenger, 35-year-old Andrew Dixon was also shot in the head and critically wounded, but survived the incident.

He has since died of "unrelated reasons," according to the prosecutor's office.

Crespo gained legal support from a national police group, as the case was picked up by the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund.

Read More: Newark cop in trouble for deadly shooting gets legal fund support

“We hope this sentence will reinforce that no one is above the law,” Essex County First Assistant Prosecutor Alexander Albu said.

Albu continued “While the vast majority of our police officers work tirelessly each day to protect and serve the public, the defendant’s actions in this case undermined the immense trust that the public places in law enforcement officers."

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