Note: Members of the press can email the Communications Office to obtain a link to download the recordings

Glen Ridge, N.J – The Attorney General’s Office today released video footage, a 911 call, and radio communications which captured events surrounding a single-vehicle accident in which Gregory Dukes, 42, of Philadelphia, PA, and Cecil Richardson, 47, of Philadelphia, PA, were fatally injured.  The vehicle in which they were travelling accelerated away from Officer Michael Kupchack and Officer Brandon Taylor of the Montclair Township Police Department after an attempted motor vehicle stop on May 10, 2022.  Todd Hill, 45, of Philadelphia, PA, the driver of the vehicle, sustained injuries in the accident.

The fatal encounter remains under investigation by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability (OPIA). The recordings are being released pursuant to policies established by the Attorney General’s Office in 2019 that are designed to promote the fair, impartial and transparent investigation of fatal police encounters. Prior to today’s release, investigators met with Mr. Dukes and Mr. Richardson’s relatives to review the recordings with them.

According to the preliminary investigation, the accident occurred shortly after 4:30 a.m. on Bloomfield Avenue and Ridgewood Avenue in Glen Ridge, N.J. Officers Kupchack and Taylor activated lights on their marked patrol vehicles in an attempt to stop the vehicle driven by Mr. Hill in connection with a robbery investigation. At that point, the vehicle sped off, traveling at speeds that reached in excess of 64 mph. Approximately 22 seconds later, and without coming into contact with another car, Mr. Hill lost control of the vehicle, left the roadway, and struck a tree. Mr. Dukes and Mr. Richardson were pronounced deceased on scene.

Officers Kupchack and Taylor exited their vehicles and located Mr. Hill near the car. Other officers arrived and rendered aid. Once an ambulance arrived, Mr. Hill was transported to University Hospital, admitted for treatment and later released.

The recordings are posted online: Click here for recordings.

The investigation is ongoing and no further information is being released at this time.

This investigation is being conducted pursuant to a state law enacted in January 2019 (P.L. 2019, c.1), which requires that the Attorney General’s Office conduct all investigations of a person’s death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in the officer’s official capacity or while the decedent is in custody. Separately, the Independent Prosecutor Directive, which was issued in December 2019, outlines a 10-step process for conducting these investigations. The Directive establishes clear procedures governing such investigations to ensure that they are conducted in a full, impartial and transparent manner. Under both state law and the Directive, when the entire investigation is complete, the case will be presented to a grand jury, typically consisting of 16 to 23 citizens, to make the ultimate decision regarding whether criminal charges will be filed.

A copy of the Directive is available at this link:
https://www.nj.gov/oag/excellence/docs/2019-4_Independent_Prosecutor_Directive.pdf,

and a summary of that 10-step process is available at this link:
https://www.nj.gov/oag/excellence/docs/The-Independent-Prosecutor-Directive.pdf

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