A Sussex County man who was driving while high on heroin when he crashed into a gas station and killed a father, son and station attendant, pleaded guilty Friday to three counts of aggravated manslaughter in the 2019 wreck on Route 23 in Wayne, authorities said.
Jason Vanderee, 29, of Vernon, faces a possible 30-year prison term when he is sentenced as part of an agreement with prosecutors, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes. He also pleaded guilty to motor vehicle violation of driving under the influence, Valdes said.
Vanderee admitted that on Feb. 19, 2019 he bought heroin in Paterson and consumed the drug before driving recklessly on Route 23 north in Wayne, according to the prosecutor. While driving, he became unconscious and lost control of his vehicle on the busy highway.
The vehicle Vanderee was driving slammed into a Delta Gas Station, plowed into a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro parked at the station that was occupied by Jon Warbeck, 50, of Fair Lawn and his son, 17-year-old Luke Warbeck.
Both were killed in the crash, officials said. After hitting the Camaro, Vanderee’s vehicle struck gas station worker Lovedeep Fatra, 22, of Pequannock, according to prosecutors.
“Mr. Vanderee admitted that at the time, he was under the influence of heroin and fentanyl, and that his toxicology report also showed the presence of alprazolam and cocaine,” Valdes said.
“Mr. Vanderee further admitted that given his history of heroin abuse and the choice he made to get behind the wheel while under the influence of heroin, he disregarded the substantial risk that it was probable his actions would cause death to another, and therefore he exercised extreme indifference to the value of human life,” the prosecutor added in a statement.
The father and son were remembered as being devoted to each other, often spending time riding dirt bikes and quads, camping and fishing, according to obituaries.
Luke Warbeck was a junior at Boonton High School, according to his obituary. His father, Jon, was a volunteer firefighter for the Carlstadt Fire Department, Ladder 1, and a volunteer for the Wayne Fire Department, Company No. 3. He was also a past member of Moonachie emergency medical services.
“Jon and Luke were inseparable. It was clear to anyone that knew Jon, that his true passion in life was his son Luke,” Jon Warbeck’s obituary said.
Vanderee is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 27, 2022.
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Noah Cohen may be reached at [email protected].