Man's Video 2 Weeks After Fatal Route 37 Crash Shows Him Driving 122 MPH, Prosecutor Says

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Barnegat man charged in the Route 37 crash that killed a young couple in March shared a video on social media showing himself driving 122 mph less than two weeks after the crash, authorities said Thursday.

That video is evidence that Jake M. Beauchamp is a danger to the community, Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Travis Clark said during the detention hearing, arguing that Beauchamp be held until trial in the fatal crash that happened after a 16-minute high-speed trip from Toms River up Route 35 to Brick and back.

"He still has the desire to look cool on social media," Clark said of the video posted on Beauchamp's Snapchat account, in spite of "being in such a horrific crash where this defendant witnessed the death of two individuals the same age as himself."

Beauchamp, 20, was ordered released on home detention pending the outcome of the case by Ocean County Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels. Beauchamp will be allowed to leave his home only to attend church and for mandatory court-related appearances, Daniels said.

His co-defendant, Ryan Rivera, 18, waived release and continues to be held in the Ocean County Jail, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, which is handling the case because two of the victims in the crash are related to a high-level member of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Beauchamp and Rivera have been charged with two counts of aggravated manslaughter, two counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of aggravated assault causing bodily injury with fleeing, eluding, hindering prosecution — suppressing evidence, and obstruction, in the March 7 crash that killed Evan Fiore, 23, and Kiley Armstrong, 21. The crash also injured Kiley's twin sister, Krista Armstrong, and Krista's boyfriend, Ryan Chapman, 19.

Beauchamp and Rivera were passengers in the white BMW driven by Carlos D. Martinez, 18, as it sped along Route 37, running a red light at Route 166 and smashing into Fiore's Toyota Camry, authorities have said. Martinez, initially charged as a juvenile because he was 17 at the time of the crash, has since been charged as an adult. He is being held until trial.

Clark said while Beauchamp's Snapchat video, which zooms in and shows the speedometer at 122 mph, was posted March 20, authorities were still trying to determine whether it was taken before or after the crash.

"One would think this was no longer fun or cool," Clark said, referring to the high-speed driving and eluding police that the trio are accused of doing that night. Clark said investigators have found multiple videos and chat logs showing the events of March 7 were not the first time the group had deliberately tried to get police to chase them.

Beauchamp's attorney, Skylar Weissman, argued that the video could have been faked using artificial intelligence or that Beauchamp's Snapchat account was hacked. He also said Beauchamp's car, a Mustang seen in the video, was in the repair shop when the video was posted March 20.

Weissman also argued that Beauchamp did not have a significant role in the events of the night, saying prosecutors focused significantly on Rivera and Martinez in the evidence presented at the detention hearing.

Clark, however, argued that videos show Beauchamp driving the BMW when the group first encounters Toms River Patrol Officer John Marsicano on the J. Stanley Tunney Bridge. Authorities have said the BMW was going 92 mph at that time.

In addition, Clark said, claims Beauchamp made to police about a stop for gas at an Exxon station after the group left ShopRite following a food run — where he told police Martinez took over as driver — could not be corroborated by GPS evidence or verified through transaction records at the Exxon.

The Snapchat group also showed multiple discussions about running from police and in at least one case saying they needed to film more because it was so much fun, Clark said.

Clark also said Beauchamp's driving history showed multiple careless driving charges and a number of points on his driver's license.

"The conduct taken by this defendant is beyond reckless. He had no regard for the value of human life," Clark said, saying the "attention-seeking behavior and thrill-seeking behavior" had been going on for some time. "What may be more shocking is that it (a fatal crash) hadn’t happened sooner."

He said Beauchamp had opportunities to get out of the car and stop participating when the group stopped in Brick before heading south on Route 35, and he said while Beauchamp claimed he and Rivera told Martinez to slow down, the videos from Rivera's phone show the group laughing right up to the crash.

"I understand the defendant was not behind the wheel but he is culpable," Clark said.

Previous coverage:

• 2 Die In Route 37 Crash In Toms River As Unlicensed Teen Drove 118 MPH: Prosecutor
• Support Pours In For Families Of Victims In Fatal Route 37 Crash In Toms River
• 'Always Together': Route 37 Crash Victims Were Planning Futures, Families Say
• Funeral Set For 'Inseparable' Couple Killed In Route 37 Crash In Toms River
• Community Envelopes Families Of Couple Killed In Route 37 Crash
• Teen Driver To Be Tried As Adult In Route 37 Crash That Killed Couple: Report
• Driver In Fatal Route 37 Crash In Toms River Was Urged To Stop, Passenger Claims
• 3 Now Charged In Fatal 118-MPH Route 37 Crash In Toms River
• 'They're Not For Us. Go Go Go': Fatal Route 37 Crash Trip 'Filmed For Clout', Prosecutor Says