Grand jury declines charges against Ewing officers in fatal police pursuit
A juvenile passenger was killed after the vehicle police were pursuing ran a red light and collided with a Subaru in December 2025.
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A state grand jury has declined to file criminal charges against three Ewing police officers after a police pursuit ended in a crash that killed a juvenile in December, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office announced Tuesday.
The grand jury voted "no bill" Monday, concluding that no criminal charges should be filed against the officers after reviewing evidence from the investigation into the Dec. 19 crash. The Attorney General's Office said the evidence included officer and witness interviews, photographs, vehicle recorder and surveillance footage and autopsy results.
The encounter began around 6:24 p.m., when Ewing police responded to a report of a stolen white Kia near Clover Avenue, according to the investigation.
Officer Edward Lester spotted a vehicle matching the description and initially followed it without activating his emergency lights or siren. Lester later activated his lights and siren near Coolidge and Pennington avenues in an attempt to stop the Kia, but the vehicle did not stop.
Officers Charles Wyckoff and Jason Ulrich then joined the pursuit in separate marked police vehicles with their emergency lights activated.
The Attorney General's Office said the Kia continued at high speed and erratically. While traveling north on Prospect Street, the Kia ran a red light at Parkway Avenue and collided with a red Subaru carrying four people.
A juvenile passenger was ejected from the Subaru and later died from injuries sustained in the crash. The other three occupants were treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening, as was the driver of the Kia.
After the collision, the Kia struck a traffic signal pole, causing it to fall onto the Kia and Lester's police vehicle. Lester was also treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The Attorney General's Office is required by state law to investigate deaths that occur during encounters with law enforcement and present those investigations to a grand jury. A "no bill" means the grand jury determined the evidence did not support an indictment.
The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office is handling the court matter involving the juveniles who were in the Kia.
With the criminal investigation concluded, the Attorney General's Office said its Office of Public Integrity and Accountability will determine whether any officer should be referred for administrative review.
