By: Richard L. Smith
A Newark man has been sentenced to life in New Jersey State Prison for a devastating crash that left two of his passengers dead, according to a statement released by Essex County Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II.
Shaquan Wiley, 39, was convicted by a jury on February 24, 2025, on eight counts, including two counts of first-degree vehicular homicide, two counts of aggravated assault by auto, and related charges.
The sentencing was handed down by Superior Court Judge Ronald D. Wigler, who also presided over Wiley’s trial.
Prosecutors presented evidence showing that on January 25, 2020, Wiley was driving under the influence and speeding through a Newark neighborhood near a school when he lost control of the vehicle and slammed into a tree.
The violent crash claimed the lives of two passengers — 17-year-old Tahtiyanah Green and 21-year-old Imani Exum — both of whom died at the scene.
Two other passengers, Michael Kirk, 37, and Shikeyah Hamlin, 21, suffered life-threatening injuries.
Assistant Prosecutor Adam B. Wells, who prosecuted the case alongside Assistant Prosecutor William Chalmers, called the crash a “senseless tragedy,” expressing satisfaction with the sentence on behalf of the victims’ families and the Newark community.
Chalmers added his hope that the verdict would bring some measure of peace to the grieving families.
Wiley’s life sentence is particularly notable, as such a penalty is rare in vehicular homicide cases.
The severity of the sentence reflects not only his intoxication and reckless speed but also his lengthy criminal record, including a prior manslaughter conviction from 2005 when he fatally struck a pedestrian while driving recklessly.