08 October 2023 , 14:49
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A police officer pulled a young couple over for speeding and let them go just moments before they were killed in a fatal crash.
Officer Jon Nunez noticed a car travelling at high speed through North Bergen, New Jersey, on August 21, 2021. When the cop stopped the vehicle, he spoke to the driver, 24-year-old Luis Fernando Cevallos and his passenger, 27-year-old Alexis Rodriguez. The couple were on their first date, and sadly it was also their last.
Haunting police bodycam footage shows the moment officer Nunez approaches the car and tells the driver to stop, providing him with his driving licence and registration. As Mr Cevallos complies, someone in the background can be heard complaining to the police officer about how fast the Kia was going.
Fernando Cevallos and Alexis Rodriguez were stopped by a police officer minutes before they crashed and diedIn the clip, the driver can be seen saying they were speeding as his partner was in a rush to get home since it was their first date. As the passenger apologised saying that it was her fault as she needed to get home quickly, the officer told reassured her and said: "Almost killing each other is no way to start on the first date."
The officer issued the driver with three citations for reckless driving, failure to observe a flashing traffic signal, and violation of restrictions on a provisional license - and reminded Mr Cevallos to be safe. Just after 2am, the couple were let go but 14 minutes later, Officer Jessica Toro came on police radio to announce an accident near Route 1-9 and 36th Street - close to where Mr Nunez had stopped the car.
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The police officer was shocked when he responded to the callWhen the officer responded to the call, he quickly realised the couple had been involved in a crash with a tractor-trailer. Bodycam footage shows the moment he saw the car as he said: "Yo, this is the same kid. Oh my God. Oh my God."
The officer told his colleagues that he had just pulled the vehicle over and appeared shocked at what had just happened. The top of the Kia was sheared off, according to a Daily Voice report, and responders said high speed appeared to be the only factor in the crash. The two young people were pronounced dead at the scene at 2.26am.
The two young people were pronounced dead at the sceneThe video was posted on social media by Drive Thru Tours, a channel providing public footage of public incidents captured on camera. Many people commented and sympathised with the police officer after the incident. One wrote: "I feel so bad for the officer. He was the last person to see them alive, and also one of the first to discover them deceased. So tragic, and so traumatising for him."
Another person added: "The amount of humanity and empathy shown by this officer is very humbling! He genuinely was instantly grief stricken!" One more commented: "All the things that police officers and law enforcement have to endure, much respect and thank you for your service."