An allegedly drunk and unlicensed driver accused of chasing down another motorist in a deadly crash must stay in jail pending the outcome of his case.
Keneet Camacho, 38, is charged with aggravated manslaughter in what the prosecutor called "a violent episode of road rage" in Galloway Township.
He allegedly rear-ended Janel Bembry's car as the two traveled south on Wrangleboro Road, forcing her into oncoming traffic just before 8 a.m. April 20.
Video shows Camacho's SUV speed off as Bembry's car and a northbound vehicle collide head-on, Assistant Prosecutor Kate Robinson told the judge during a detention hearing Monday.
Camacho was stopped by police blocks away. Bembry, 48, of Galloway Township, died of her injuries.
The other driver, 61-year-old
Gail Schifris, suffered broken bones and required surgery.He admitted to having five or six shots of tequila starting at 10 the night before and stopping around 2 a.m., according to the affidavit.
A witness told police she saw Camacho outside Bembry's car yelling at her before the crash.
She said the vehicles then drove off, and Camacho forced Bembry off the road. They then re-entered the roadway, and that's when the fatal crash happened, the affidavit reads.
"This case was a particularly violent and prolonged episode of apparent road rage," Superior Court Judge Bernard DeLury said. "The defendant's conduct was alarmingly dangerous... and the escalation of his violence was apparently fueled by alcohol abuse."
Defense attorney Joe Swift said Camacho is a hardworking, law-abiding family man who is the sole provider for wife and daughter. He worked for five years at Giovanni's on East Collins Road, which is the parking lot where the witness said the dispute between the two drivers. Camacho currently works at Villa Rifici in Absecon.
It does not appear Camacho ever had a valid license.The native of Lima, Peru, could face deportation if convicted of the charges. He was in the process of applying for an adjustment to his immigration, which was in the works in December, Swift said. Camacho told police he came to New Jersey in 2005 on a work visa.
He maintains strong ties in his home country, making him a flight risk, both Robinson and DeLury agreed.Camacho, who listened to the hearing through a Spanish interpreter, put his head down as the judge gave his ruling.
"Owing to the defendant’s breathtaking recklessness in this case, the court is convinced that — if left to his own devices — he would behave similarly again," DeLury.Camacho will remain in the Atlantic County Justice Facility.
An Absecon man jailed in a fatal hit-and-run may have intentionally caused the crash, according to upgraded charges."Somebody is chasing me on Wrangleboro Road, wanting me to put my window down," Janel Bembry said in a 911 call April 20, shortly before her car was rear-ended and pushed into oncoming traffic, according to the affidavit obtained by BreakingAC.
Bembry, 48, of Galloway Township, died from her injuries.
Keneet Camacho, 38, was originally charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash, driving while intoxicated and being an unlicensed driver.
But his charges now include aggravated manslaughter and assault by auto after a witness came forward saying she saw a confrontation between the two drivers before the fatal crash.Bembry's Hyundai Elantra and Camacho's Toyota Highlander were parked in the lot at Giovanni's on East Collins Road, the woman told police, according to the affidavit signed four days after the crash.
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An Absecon man is jailed in a hit-and-run that killed a Galloway Township woman Monday morning.Keneet Camacho, 38, was allegedly intoxicated when he rear-ended a car while heading south on Wrangleboro Road in the township just before 8 a.m., police said.Janel Bembry’s vehicle was then pushed into the northbound lane, where it struck an SUV driven by Gail Schifris.Camacho fled, but was quickly caught by police on Great Creek Road, according to the report.
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