A New Jersey State Police sergeant who fatally struck a bicyclist with his police SUV in Warren County last year will not be criminally charged, a state grand jury ruled last month.
The incident occurred in Hackettstown shortly after 6 a.m. on Feb. 5, 2024, when New Jersey State Police Sgt. Kesene Grier’s unmarked vehicle collided with Raul L. Diaz, 59, of Long Valley, according to a statement from the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office.
The collision happened before sunrise at the intersection of Willow Grove Street and Brook Hollow Drive, the office said.
Grier was driving west on Brook Hollow Drive and stopped at a stop sign and turned left onto Willow Grove Street, investigators said.
Diaz was riding north on Willow Grove Street when he abruptly applied the brakes to his electric bike with “heavy front brake application,” the office said in its release. This caused the rear of the e-bike to become elevated, and the vehicle overturned.
The left side and undercarriage of Grier’s SUV struck Diaz and his e-bike, authorities said.
Grier remained on scene, contacted dispatch to report the incident, and attended to Diaz while awaiting the arrival of additional officers and EMS, the office said.
Diaz was taken to Hackettstown Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 7:17 a.m., officials said.
The office previously released surveillance camera footage and a radio transmission related to the crash. The footage is taken from a building across the street and it’s difficult to the see the actual collision.
State law requires the Attorney General’s Office to investigate the death of a person dies during an encounter with police. The actions of the officer are then reviewed and include interviews of witnesses, collection of forensic evidence, review of video footage, and autopsy results from the medical examiner.
The findings of the investigation are then presented to a grand jury to determine if the evidence supports the return of an indictment against the officer or officers involved. In this case, the jury decided that Grier should not be criminally charged, the office said.
Stories by Chris Sheldon
Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.
Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.