No Charges Filed Against Perth Amboy Police Officer For Man's Death In High-Speed Moped Crash

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A grand jury voted Monday not to file any criminal charges against a Perth Amboy cop, related to a man who died in this moped crash in Woodbridge last July.

The moped driver who died was Joseph Acevedo-Rodriguez, 26, of Elizabeth. A Perth Amboy Police lieutenant tried to pull him over last summer but he declined to stop, and instead sped off and died moments later when he was ejected from his bike, said New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport.

After hearing testimony and evidence, a grand jury finished deliberating on Monday and voted “no bill,” concluding no criminal charges should be filed against Perth Amboy Police Lieutenant Jose Pais.

According to Davenport, at approximately 12:05 a.m. July 6, 2025, three men were driving motorized scooters in the area of State Street and High Street in Perth Amboy.

Pais, in a marked police vehicle, attempted to conduct a motor vehicle stop of the group.

Pais activated his overhead lights and siren. Two of the three moped riders continued driving and left the scene. The third, Acevedo-Rodriguez, initially pulled over on the shoulder of State Street and then accelerated and sped off northbound at a high rate of speed.

Pais followed the moped until the vehicles crossed the border into Woodbridge Township. The lieutenant then deactivated his vehicle’s lights and sirens, made a U-turn and returned to Perth Amboy.

Shortly thereafter, and approximately a quarter mile north on State Street, between Arbor and Ferry streets, Woodbridge Police responded to multiple 911 calls about a motor vehicle crash.

Officers found Acevedo-Rodriguez lying in the road with the moped some distance away.

An investigation — which included an eyewitness account, video surveillance footage and the collection of physical evidence — revealed Acevedo-Rodriguez had struck a curb and a nearby chain-link fence, and was ejected from the motor scooter.

An eyewitness reported Acevedo-Rodriguez was going at a high speed on a curved road when he lost control of the moped. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

See The Video, 911 Call Of Fatal Moped Crash In Woodbridge In July 2025

Acevedo-Rodriguez’s death was investigated by NJ Attorney General and presented to a grand jury. State law requires the Attorney General to investigate deaths that occur during encounters with law enforcement. Footage of the crash, recorded by a dashboard camera and a surveillance camera, were previously released. Those recordings are posted online: https://njoag.box.com/s/e6uu3bg1ocfjwlnnf0guupyicygnuqrd