MORRISTOWN, NJ (Morris County) – An Essex County man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for charges stemming from a pursuit in September 2020, according Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll.
On September 22, 2020, a Hanover Township Police Officer initiated a pursuit of Isaac Zackery-Barnes, 24, of Newark after he failed to yield to the officer’s commands to pull over what was later discovered to be a stolen motor vehicle from Nutley, Essex County, Carroll said.
Zackery-Barnes created a risk of injury or death when he fled the scene, having swerved between lanes of traffic. At times he traveled on the wrong side of the roadway, ran a red light, left the roadway, hit a curb, all before continuing onto an entrance ramp to Route 287, where two tires were subsequently blown out as a result of his dangerous conduct, Carroll said.
The pursuit was ultimately terminated in Parsippany-Troy Hills, and Zackery-Barnes was arrested following a short investigation, Carroll said.
Following the arrest of Zackery-Barnes, members of the Hanover Township Police Department contacted members of the Morris County Auto Theft Task Force to assist with the investigation, and to coordinate with agencies from neighboring counties as this investigation involved a stolen motor vehicle, Carroll said.
The Honorable Stephen J. Taylor, P.J.Cr. accepted Zackery-Barnes’ pleas of guilt on November 17, 2021 to second-degree eluding a police officer, and third-degree receiving stolen property for operating the stolen vehicle during the police pursuit, Carroll said.
Zackery-Barnes was sentenced on January 20 to nine years in prison on the eluding charge and four years concurrent in prison on the receiving stolen property charge. Barnes also agreed to pay restitution to the victim, Carroll said.
“This resolution was the result of excellent police work by the Hanover Township Police Department, the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department, the Morris County Auto Theft Task Force, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Intelligence Unit,” Carroll said.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Kelly of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Special Operation’s Division and Sgt. Thomas Joiner, who directly supervises the County Auto Theft Task Force. The ATTF was formed in 2019 to combat the growing number of motor vehicle thefts in Morris County. The ATTF is operated out of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Special Operations Division which also handled Narcotics Trafficking cases and other organized crime investigations.
