Drunk Driver Who Killed 4 NJ Teens In Wrong-Way Crash Had Illegal Guns, Drugs: Court Docs

CARNEYS POINT, NJ — A man accused of driving drunk on the wrong side of the highway and causing a crash that killed four teenagers had multiple illegal weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his pickup truck, according to court records Patch obtained.

Christopher Neff, 41, of Westminster, Colorado, drove on the wrong side of the New Jersey Turnpike early Sunday and struck an SUV head-on in Salem County, authorities said. All four people in the SUV died, and Neff was hospitalized with serious injuries.

On Tuesday, Neff was charged with four counts of first-degree manslaughter and four counts of second-degree vehicular homicide.

Court documents obtained by Patch show that Neff is facing additional charges related to weapons and drugs that police say were found in his vehicle after the crash.

Neff had two assault rifles, a handgun and a BB gun with him, according to State Police. He was not authorized to carry any of them.

He also had psilocybin mushrooms, several high-capacity magazines, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition — including hollow-point bullets and full metal jackets — according to an affidavit.

Neff remained in custody at a Delaware hospital as of Wednesday for treatment of his crash injuries.

Related coverage:

• 4 Teens Killed In Wrong-Way Crash On Turnpike: Police
• Witnesses Sought For Wrong-Way Crash That Killed 4 Teens In South Jersey: Police
• Wrong-Way, Drunk Driver Charged With Manslaughter After 4 Teens Die On NJ Highway: Docs

The collision happened around 12:40 a.m. on the New Jersey Turnpike in Carneys Point.

Neff was driving northbound on the southbound side when he struck an SUV head-on in the left lane, authorities said. An oncoming tractor-trailer then hit the SUV.

All four people inside the SUV were killed, authorities said. Police identified them as Yaakov Kilberg, 19, of Lakewood, who was driving; Aharon Lebovits and Shlomo Cohen, both 18, of Lakewood; and Chaim Grossman, 18, of Fallsburg, New York.

The tractor-trailer driver was unhurt.

Further investigation revealed that Neff spent several hours at a dive bar off the turnpike that night, police said. At one point, he urinated outside the establishment, according to an affidavit.

Neff left the bar about 10 minutes before the crash. He drove across the street to get food and the drove the wrong way on a turnpike ramp, almost hitting another vehicle, authorities said.

The Colorado resident continued driving northbound in the southbound lanes and got into the crash a couple minutes later, the affidavit says.

Neff's breath had a "strong odor" of alcohol, police said. A blood test revealed he had a a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.22 percent — nearly triple New Jersey's legal limit of 0.08 — investigators said.

Authorities say they searched Neff's vehicle and found several illegal weapons.

Patch obtained court documents Wednesday showing Neff was charged with manslaughter and vehicular homicide.

New court documents acquired Thursday show Neff is also facing the following charges:

• second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon (three counts: handgun, two assault rifles)
• third-degree unlawful possession of a weapon (BB gun)
• fourth-degree possession of a large-capacity magazine
• fourth-degree possession of hollow-point bullets
• fourth-degree possession of a controlled dangerous substance (psilocybin mushrooms)

Attorney information for Neff was not available Thursday in online court records.