According to the court papers, Princeton Mayor Mark Freda tried to help chase down a fleeing car thief before the vehicle crashed and ended up killing two people.
While the exact details of the event are still under investigation, it is known that a 15-year-old car thief, Damajia Jenay Horner, drove into oncoming traffic and crashed into another car on Princeton-Kingston Road. The car was driven by Jodi Marcou, 61, South Brunswick mother of two.
Both Damajia and Jodi were pronounced dead at the scene.
In July, Jodi’s husband David filed a lawsuit in Middlesex County Court over his wife’s death where he added Mayor Mark as a defendant. Other defendants being sued also include Damajia’s family, the municipality of Princeton, Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad and others.
Freda activated “the blue warning light on his vehicle and knew or reasonably should have known that by doing so, it would initiate, engage, cause and/or result in a dangerous result . . . a palpably unreasonable risk of serious or life-threatening injuries to the public and motorists,” stated the plaintiff in the complaint.
He had “no formal authority in activating his blue lights and in conducting any form of pursuit or at speed chase of the vehicle Horner was operating,” added David.
While the Mayor or his attorney have not issued any statement on the matter, they call Jodi’s death “an act of God” in the response they have filed in court.
As reported by NewJersey.com, Damajia and another teen had been hired by a man named Elhajjmalik Diallo to steal the Jeep. He was arrested in May 2022 and is also being sued by David.
