WALL TOWNSHIP — A suspect has been located, arrested and charged in connection with a fatal three-vehicle collision that took place in Wall Township in July 2023, Monmouth County First Assistant Prosecutor Julia Alonso and Wall Township Police Chief Sean O’Halloran jointly announced Tuesday.
Thomas Redding, 45, of Howell Township, is charged with death by auto and multiple drug and motor vehicle violations in connection with the collision in Wall that resulted in the death of a Wall Township man.
Police gave the following description of the crash: At approximately 5 a.m. on Saturday, July 29, 2023, Wall Township Police Department (WTPD) officers responded to a three-vehicle collision at Old Mill Road and Route 138. They found a 2016 Ford Fusion, operated by 55-year-old Leonard Akers, of Wall Township, and a 2016 Dodge Ram pickup truck, driven by a 62-year-old Howell Township resident, had been fully stopped at a red light. Thomas Redding, 45, of Howell Township, approached from behind, driving a 2023 Toyota 4Runner, and collided with the rear of Akers’ vehicle, propelling it into the pickup truck ahead, severely damaging both vehicles.
Akers was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, the press release says, where he was pronounced dead despite lifesaving efforts.
An investigation by the Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office (MCPO), WTPD and New Jersey State Police determined that Redding was under the influence of intoxicating substances at the time of the collision, authorities said.
Redding is charged with death by auto, possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. He also faces summonses for speeding, reckless driving, careless driving likely to endanger persons or property, following too closely, operation of a motor vehicle while in possession of narcotics and driving while intoxicated.
Ptl. Megan Alexander of the Wall Township Police Department was the assigned investigator for the crash. She said “I am not happy with the length of time it took to arrest the accused, but we have to ensure that a thorough investigation is done. I hope that the arrest of this individual brings some closure to the victim’s family.”
WTPD’s public information officer, Capt. Chad Clark, told The Coast Star Tuesday the delayed arrest was due to waiting on toxicology report results.
Redding was criminally charged earlier this month and remained at large until he was located and arrested in Philadelphia, by members of MCPO and the U.S. Marshals Service early on Monday, July 29. He remains in custody there pending extradition to New Jersey and future proceedings in state Superior Court in Freehold.
Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Cummings of the MCPO Major Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case. Information about Redding’s legal representation was not immediately available.
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