What to Know
- Ex-cop Pedro Abad was allegedly drunk when he collided with a tractor trailer on Staten Island in March 2015
- Abad has pleaded not guilty to those charges and and rejected a plea deal for as much as 21 years in jail
- Jury selection in his trial is now scheduled to begin in early April
A former New Jersey police officer charged in a fatal wrong-way crash on Staten Island in 2015 will face a jury in a few weeks after declining a plea deal.
"We are going to trial," Pedro Abad's lawyer said in a brief hearing Wednesday. Jury selection is now expected to begin April 10.
Abad faces eight to 25 years in prison if convicted, but was offered a plea deal for a sentence of five to 21 years. The deadline for that offer was Wednesday.
Prosecutors say Abad was drunk when he collided with a tractor trailer on the West Shore Expressway in the morning hours of March 20, 2015. Two passengers in Abad's car were killed, including a fellow Linden, New Jersey officer.
Abad has pleaded not guilty to charges in the case. Last December, a federal judge denied a defense request to suppress Abad's blood-alcohol test results.
