Former Hillside police officer sentenced to 17 years for crash that killed Maryland couple
The investigation determined that the driver was reckless while under the influence of both alcohol and THC
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A former Hillside police officer has been sentenced to 17 years in state prison for a 2021 collision that claimed the lives of a husband and wife.
Monmouth County prosecutors announced the sentencing Thursday, following a trial that found the officer guilty of two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide.
John P. McClave III, of Toms River, appeared before an Ocean County Superior Court judge. The judge ordered McClave to serve eight years for each victim, with the sentences set to run consecutively.
The fatal incident occurred shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021. Tinton Falls police and fire crews responded to a report of a crash on Asbury Avenue near the Garden State Parkway overpass. At the scene, officers found McClave’s 2018 GMC Canyon pickup truck and a 2020 Toyota Corolla.
The occupants of the Corolla, 40-year-old Angel L. Acevedo Jr. and his wife, 35-year-old Daniela Correia Salles, both of Baltimore, Maryland, sustained severe injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene. McClave was treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
A joint investigation determined that McClave was driving recklessly while under the influence of both alcohol and THC. Evidence showed that McClave’s truck did not slow down or change direction after leaving the Parkway lanes. Instead, the vehicle hit an embankment and became airborne before slamming into the victims’ car.
Prosecutors noted that the investigation also revealed McClave was on his way to work as a police officer at the time of the crash. The case was eventually moved to Ocean County to avoid any potential conflict of interest within the Monmouth County judiciary.
