Wayne Truex, a former Lakewood police officer and one-time township fire chief, has passed away. Truex, who also served with the Lakewood First Aid Squad, was removed from the Lakewood Police Department after a fatal incident that continues to cast a shadow over his public service record, Lakewood Alerts reported.

On August 30, 2002, while on duty with the Lakewood Police Department, Truex struck and killed an Orthodox Jewish man on Clifton Avenue near Bais Faiga. The victim, who had just left a wedding at the hall, was walking toward his parked vehicle shortly after midnight when Truex’s police cruiser hit him. Despite efforts by emergency responders to save him, the man tragically succumbed to his injuries.

The deadly crash immediately triggered investigations by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and the Lakewood Police Department’s Internal Affairs unit. Prosecutors ultimately did not bring criminal charges against Truex – despite witnesses reporting seeing him barreling down Clifton Avenue at a very high rate of speed and his refusal to provide a blood sample to investigators. Officials also determined that he also lied about the circumstances of the crash.

Because of his refusal to cooperate and the misleading information he provided, Truex was fired from the police department later that year. His termination was upheld in appeals through the state civil service system and confirmed by the New Jersey Appellate Division, which found the department was justified in removing him for failing to cooperate in a fatal-accident investigation.

The victim’s death deeply shook Lakewood’s frum kehilla. The tragic crash led to renewed calls for pedestrian safety measures along busy Clifton Avenue, as well as stricter oversight of police involved in fatal accidents.

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