Hammonton Man Sentenced For Crash That Killed Two People
A man in his twenties from Hammonton has been charged, convicted, and sentenced in the case regarding the two deaths he was responsible for as a result of racing another driver on a public road.
NJ.com reports that 29-year-old Elliott Festa was racing another vehicle down 322 in Williamstown when he struck another vehicle, killing both that driver and the passenger present in his own car. Apparently, Festa was barreling down the road at over 100 miles per hour. The incident took place back in 2017.
Festa's passenger was a 26-year-old also from Hammonton who lost his life. The driver of the car Festa struck was a 33-year-old Pemberton man, Matthew Anderson. Festa entered a 'guilty' plea for the deaths in the second-degree back in 2019, however he wasn't sentenced until late this past year.
The families of both 26-year-old Joshua Martinelli and 33-year-old Matthew Anderson spoke at the sentencing. The families shared similar sentiments about their devastation upon the realization that they'd never get to see their loved ones again. When speaking about the defendant directly, a family member of Anderson's expressed the reality that even if Festa wound up in jail, at least his mother would know he was alive.
Festa will end up going to jail as his sentence requires him to complete almost all of his two five-year terms he's received for both deaths. To dive deeper into both families' statements, you can check out the words shared by NJ.com.
Source: NJ.com