By: Tracie Carter
A state grand jury has declined to bring criminal charges in connection with the death of a 26-year-old Elizabeth man who died in a moped crash following an attempted traffic stop by a Perth Amboy police officer last summer.
According to information released by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, the grand jury voted “no bill” after reviewing the death of Joseph E. Acevedo-Rodriguez, who was killed on July 6, 2025.
The decision was reached on April 27, 2026.
The case was investigated by the Attorney General’s Office of Public Integrity and Accountability under the state’s Independent Prosecutor Directive, which requires all deaths occurring during encounters with law enforcement to be reviewed by the state.
Authorities said the investigation included witness interviews, police radio transmissions, 911 calls, surveillance and mobile video footage, photographs, and autopsy findings from the state medical examiner.
All evidence was presented to a panel of New Jersey residents serving on the grand jury.
The investigation determined that around 12:05 a.m., three individuals were operating motorized scooters near State and High streets in Perth Amboy when a marked police vehicle driven by Lieutenant Jose M. Pais attempted to initiate a motor vehicle stop.
Officials said the officer activated his lights and siren, prompting two riders to continue fleeing.
Acevedo-Rodriguez initially pulled over but then accelerated and fled northbound at a high rate of speed.
Authorities stated that the officer followed the moped into Woodbridge before deactivating his emergency lights and sirens, making a U-turn, and returning to Perth Amboy.
Moments later, Woodbridge police responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a crash along State Street between Arbor and Ferry streets.
Responding officers found Acevedo-Rodriguez in the roadway with the damaged moped nearby.
According to investigators, evidence and witness accounts indicate that Acevedo-Rodriguez lost control while traveling at a high speed on a curved section of the road, striking a curb and a chain-link fence before being ejected from the scooter.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The grand jury ultimately concluded that no criminal charges were warranted against Lieutenant Pais.