AG’s Office IDs Woman Killed In Fatal Police-Involved Crash In Long Branch

LONG BRANCH, NJ – A woman who died in August after her vehicle collided with a police car was identified as Tracee Blount, 38, of Long Branch, Attorney General Matthew Platkin’s office said Tuesday.

The Attorney General’s Office released 911 calls, police radio communications, and dashboard and body-worn camera footage related to the crash.

The deadly crash is under investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA).

According to the preliminary investigation, on Aug. 14, officers from the Long Branch Police Department were dispatched in response to a 911 call at 3:59 a.m., with the caller reporting a break-in at a residence involving an armed person.

A law enforcement vehicle driven by Long Branch Patrolman Lucas Brito, was involved in a collision with a vehicle believed to be operated by a suspect from the reported incident, Platkin said.

During the crash, which occurred in the area of MacArthur and Elmwood Avenues in Long Branch, Blount, who was a passenger in the civilian vehicle, was seriously injured.

She was taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, where she was pronounced dead around 7:12 a.m. The driver, later identified as Altonia Williams, 45, of Long Branch, was taken into custody and transported to Jersey Shore Medical Center for treatment.

Patrolman Brito was also taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center for treatment of injuries from the crash and later released.

Williams was charged by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office with eluding (2nd degree), unlawful possession of a handgun (2nd degree), certain persons not to possess firearms (2nd degree), hindering apprehension or investigation (3rd degree), armed burglary (2nd degree), possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose (2nd degree), possession of a large capacity ammunition magazine (4th degree), and unlawful pointing of a firearm (4th degree).

The criminal investigation into these charges are ongoing and being conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

The recordings were released pursuant to policies established by the Attorney General’s Office in 2019 to promote the fair, impartial, and transparent investigation of fatal police encounters.

Investigators previously met with representatives of Blount’s family to review the recordings.

You can find the body cam footage here.