Driver In Fatal Drug-Fueled Wayne Crash Rejects Plea Deal: Report

WAYNE, NJ — The man accused of killing three people in a drug-filled car crash at a Route 23 gas station earlier this year rejected a 30-year plea deal from the state Monday.

The state's deal meant Jason Vanderee would plead guilty to three counts of aggravated manslaughter and be sentenced to three, 15-year terms, according to a report by NorthJersey.com. Two of the sentences would run consecutively and one would run concurrently, making the total sentence 30 years, according to the report.

John Latoracca, Vanderee's lawyer, countered the plea offer with his own: A 15-year prison sentence, according to the report.

Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia Valdes said Vanderee was intoxicated when the crash occurred. The defense concedes that Vanderee was high on drugs, but said he had, unannounced to him, used fentanyl, a man-made opioid that is 50 times stronger than heroin, NorthJersey.com reported.

NBC 4 New York reported that authorities administered Narcan to Vanderee. Narcan is the brand name of the drug naloxone, which police and emergency responders use to revive someone experiencing an opioid overdose.

Vanderee, 32, of Glenwood, was charged with three counts of death by auto and aggravated manslaughter, and driving while intoxicated.

Vanderee was convicted in November 2016 of driving while impaired and was administered Narcan to revive him, the affidavit for the crash says.

Vanderee had nine glassine bags of heroin on him, along with several empty ones; authorities found a used hypodermic needle on the floor of his vehicle, the affidavit states.

Three people died in the crash: Jon Warbeck, 50, of Fair Lawn and his 17-year-old son, Luke, of Lincoln Park, and Lovedeep Fatra, 22, of Pequannock, who was an attendant at the gas station. The Warbecks were in a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro whose roof was ripped off in the crash, according to reports.

Jon and Luke Warbeck were inseparable and spent a lot of times outdoors together, their family said. Luke was a junior at Boonton High School.

"They spent more time together than many fathers and sons, and they shared so many common interests," Luke's family said in his obituary.

Related:

• Dad, Son Killed In Triple Fatal Wayne Crash Were 'Inseparable'
• Man Charged With Death By Auto, DWI In Wayne Gas Station Crash
• Driver Reportedly On Drugs In Wayne Triple Fatal On Route 23
• Teen Killed In Triple Fatal Wayne Crash Was A 'Fine Young Man'

Email: daniel.hubbard@patch.com