By: Richard L. Smith
The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office has released video footage and radio communications connected to a fatal motor vehicle crash that occurred late last year in North Bergen.
According to a statement released by the Office of Public Integrity and Accountability, the incident happened on September 28, 2025, and resulted in the deaths of two civilian drivers.
The victims were previously identified as Joseph Aziz, 20, of Jersey City, and Bryan Rivera, 24, of North Bergen.
The release of the recordings is part of a continuing investigation by OPIA and follows policies adopted by the Attorney General’s Office in 2019 aimed at ensuring transparency in investigations involving fatal encounters with law enforcement.
Click HERE for footage.
Officials said representatives of both families were given an opportunity to view the recordings before they were made public.
Investigators say the incident began when a North Bergen police lieutenant was traveling northbound on Tonnelle Avenue in a marked patrol vehicle.
Near the intersection of 70th Street and Tonnelle Avenue, the officer made a U-turn, activated emergency lights, and began traveling southbound while following a Honda Accord that had allegedly committed a traffic violation moments earlier.
Authorities say the driver of the Accord, later identified as Aziz, fled at a high rate of speed.
During the pursuit, investigators determined the vehicle crossed into oncoming traffic multiple times while traveling southbound on Tonnelle Avenue.
In the final moments leading up to the crash, the Accord continued driving in the northbound lanes near the area of 51st Street.
At approximately 11:18 p.m., the Honda Accord collided head-on with a Toyota Corolla traveling northbound between 50th and 51st streets.
The Corolla was driven by Rivera and carried three passengers who were not involved in the earlier events. Both Aziz and Rivera suffered severe injuries and were later pronounced dead.
One passenger in the Accord and all three passengers in the Corolla were transported to a hospital for treatment.
Investigators later determined that the Honda Accord involved in the crash had been reported stolen.
The Attorney General’s Office noted that the investigation is being conducted under a 2019 state law that requires its office to investigate any death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in an official capacity or while a person is in custody.
Under the law, all such cases must ultimately be presented to a grand jury to determine whether criminal charges are warranted.
The investigation remains ongoing, and officials said no additional information will be released at this time. 