No Charges Against Monmouth Co. Police Officer Involved In Fatal Crash

LONG BRANCH, NJ — A state grand jury voted not to file any criminal charges against a Long Branch police officer who got into a car crash that killed a local woman, Tracee Blount.

This was announced Tuesday by New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin.

The fatal vehicle collision occurred on August 14, 2023:

At 3:59 a.m. on that date, a 911 caller reported an armed break-in at his home. In response, Long Branch police officers were dispatched. As they responded in marked police cars, Officer Lucas Brito was involved in a collision with a civilian car in the area of MacArthur and Elmwood avenues.

It was later learned that the driver of that vehicle, a man named Altonia Williams, was a suspect leaving the area of the original home break-in that Brito was responding to.

Blount, 38, was a front-seat passenger in Williams' car. She was seriously injured in the crash. She was taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune, where she died at approximately 7:12 a.m.

She was a Long Branch resident.

Williams, 46, of Long Branch, was taken into custody and also taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center for treatment.

Officer Brito was also taken to Jersey Shore Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries from the crash.

After hearing the testimony and evidence, including available video of the incident, the grand jury concluded its deliberations on February 5 and voted “no bill,” meaning the grand jury concluded no criminal charges should be filed against Police Officer Brito.

Audio recordings of 911 calls and police radio communications, as well as dashboard and body-worn camera footage, were previously released and are available here: https://njoag.box.com/s/31u5py2lqu52d8ccpty7w2sdkxtlxfr3

In November 2023, a Monmouth County grand jury returned a 19-count indictment against Williams for his alleged role in the break-in and fatal accident. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s criminal investigation into these charges is ongoing.