SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Out of all 21 counties in New Jersey, Atlantic County had the second-most fatal car collisions in 2024, recording 58 deaths — the highest number of fatalities in a decade. Officials are calling for a stronger commitment to enforcement and education to curb that total.
Lt. James Rosiello, who has been working with the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Collisions Unit for nearly 20 years, said more than half of fatal crashes involve driving while intoxicated.
Phone usage has become nearly as hazardous.
“Distracted driving is a big problem,” he said. “It’s something that doesn’t have the same stigma attached to it as drunk driving or driving under the influence of drugs, but it’s something that’s just as dangerous.”
The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office announced that it has joined local agencies and schools to bring awareness to young drivers.
In addition to education, officials are increasing enforcement in the Atlantic-Cape May region. A dedicated task force is targeting speeding, impaired driving and pedestrian safety infractions in areas deemed high-risk.
“Every one of these crashes is preventable in one way or another,” Rosiello added. “If people are going out to celebrate, if they’re going out to drink, this day and age, there’s no reason not to use some type of rideshare program or to get a designated driver.”
Egregious traffic deaths caused by choices that indicate extreme indifference to human life are charged as aggravated manslaughter, Rosiello said, carrying a maximum sentence of three decades. But for him, that’s not the most devastating part of the issue.
“I can’t even put into words what the feeling is, being the first person … to tell a family that they lost a loved one, with no warning, with no chance to say goodbye,” he said.
“You make that one bad choice, and it could end your life, or it could ruin everything.”