Motorcyclist Dead In NJ Police-Chase Crash, State Officials Say

SPRINGFIELD, NJ — State officials are investigating a fatal crash in Burlington County that stemmed from a high-speed police chase on Tuesday afternoon.

Shortly before 5 p.m., an off-duty member of the New Jersey State Police in an unmarked police vehicle began pursuing an individual on a motorcycle in Springfield with both vehicles speeding — sometimes in excess of 100 miles per hour — the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.

As a result of the chase, the motorcyclist collided with an unrelated civilian vehicle near the intersection of Route 206 and Jacksonville-Jobstown Road and sustained fatal injuries, state officials said.

It wasn't immediately clear how fast the motorcyclist was traveling before the off-duty officer pursued them — or when or where they were pronounced dead.

The AG's Office withheld the names of the officer and decedent and declined to release further information as of Thursday. Typically, the agency discloses identities after several weeks of initial investigation into fatal incidents in the presence of law enforcement.

Per a 2019 law, the Attorney General’s Office must investigate deaths that occur while a police officer acts in their official capacity or while the decedent is in police custody. All investigations must then be presented to a grand jury to determine a possible indictment of the officer or officers involved.

The investigation remains ongoing.