Crime & Safety

'Death Race' State Troopers Forced to Forfeit Jobs

Trooper from Bloomingdale charged with fourth-degree tampering with records after authorities said he and another trooper assisted with a high-speed luxury car escort down the Garden State Parkway.

A New Jersey State Police trooper from Bloomingdale was one of two troopers forced to forfeit his job after being charged with falsifying records in Superior Court on Monday.

Joseph Ventrella, 29, a seven-year state police veteran from Bloomingdale, assisted in a high-speed escort of several luxury cars down the Garden State Parkway in March 2012, according to a release sent by Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa and on Monday was charged with fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records. The escort had been dubbed "Death Race" after a Madison man caught the speeding cars on camera and shared video with state police.

Sgt. First Class Nadir Nassry, 47, of Phillipsburg, pleaded guilty to fourth-degree falsifying or tampering with records after Chiesa said he led the caravan. Nassry admitted to using black electrical tape to hide the numbers on the license plate of his trooper car to assist with the escort, Chiesa said. As a result of his plea, probation will be recommended for the 26-year police force veteran and he will be barred from employment in law enforcement in New Jersey. He will be sentenced on April 29.

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Ventrella will also be forced to forfeit his position with state police and will be barred permanently from ever working in law enforcement in the state of New Jersey, Chiesa. The state allowed Ventrella to apply for and enroll in the Middlesex County Pre-Trial Intervention (PTI) Program, if a court approves, and once successfully completed, Ventrella's charges will be dismissed.

“As members of the State Police, we must hold ourselves to a higher standard to maintain the public's trust,” Colonel Rick Fuentes, superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, said. “When we fail to adhere to those standards, we need to ensure that any violations are taken seriously and disciplined accordingly. The actions of these members should not overshadow all of the great work and service provided by the men and women who proudly wear the uniform of the New Jersey State Police.”

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