Teen deemed not responsible for causing fatal '07 accident
On July 18, state Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mellaci Jr., sitting in Freehold, found William Brennessel, 19, of Freehold Township, not guilty of reckless driving and cleared the teenager of responsibility in an accident that left three teenagers and one woman fatally injured, according to attorney Raymond Raya, who represented Brennessel.

With his decision, Mellaci overturned a lower court's ruling that had found Brennessel guilty of reckless driving, according to Raya, of Freehold.

The accident occurred on the afternoon of Jan. 10, 2007, on Kozloski Road, Freehold Township.

In the crash, three Freehold High School students, Michael Dragonetti, 17, James Warnock, 17, and Andrew Lundy, 16, and Old Bridge resident Ruth Mac- Arthur, 68, were killed. The accident occurred when a Cadillac CTS being driven by Dragonetti lost control and crashed into a minivan being driven by Mac- Arthur.

The car being driven by Brennessel was not involved in the crash.

"My faith in our system of justice is resolute. Today's ruling is not a triumph of any one attorney or defendant, but it shows that our legal system is strong. Will Brennessel was innocent on the day this happened, he was innocent despite the lower court's verdict and finally, today, he is officially innocent as well," Raya said. "This case has been very trying for all parties involved. My heart still goes out to the victims of this tragic accident."

Specifically, according to Raya, Mellaci found that the municipal court testimony of the three witnesses who testified that Brennessel was not driving in a reckless manner and did not contribute to the accident to be consistent with the physical evidence and consistent with the one eyewitness who was cited to have been without bias.

On the other hand, Mellaci found that the expert witnesses for the state did not have the scientific evidence necessary to prove the case against the defendant, Raya said.

"It has been clear to me from the very beginning that Freehold is a community that was reeling over this accident. It is quite natural for a community to try to find someone or something to blame for such a tragedy," the attorney said.

"It was clear through this process the state's expert witnesses, the prosecution, the municipal court judge and the community thought they found the person responsible for the accident. But this person was innocent and the only thing standing between him and the pitchforks and torches of the community was our legal system and a hardworking, scrupulously prepared judge," he added.

Raya said Mellaci did find Brennessel guilty of speeding for traveling between 60 and 65 mph in a 50 mph zone, but reiterated that the speeding did not cause the fatal accident. He said this is also consistent with a prior release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office that stated that Brennessel "was not being charged with causing the fatal accident."