Grand jury reaches decision on fatal police crash in Atco

TRENTON — A Waterford police officer will not be charged in connection with the death of a man in an on-duty traffic accident.

A state grand jury voted to take no action against Waterford Police Sgt. Richard Sbarra, according to the state Attorney General's Office.

Sbarra was driving a police vehicle that hit Christofe “Christopher” Wita, 44, of Berlin, on Nov. 23, 2023.

An investigation determined Wita was crossing the White Horse Pike on foot when the accident occurred around 2:10 a.m. in the Atco section.

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Wita was in "a poorly lit area and was not within a crosswalk when he was struck by Sgt. Sbarra," the Attorney General's Office said in a statement.

"The sergeant was traveling less than the posted speed limit at the time of the accident," the statement said.

Officers provided medical aid at the scene, but Wita was pronounced dead at 2:19 a..m.

A state law requires an investigation into any death that occurs during an encounter with a law enforcement officer acting in an official capacity.

The grand jury reviewed findings of the investigation, which was conducted by the state's Office of Public Integrity, before reaching its conclusion on Aug. 5, the statement said.

Investigators questioned witnesses and reviewed radio transmissions, photographs, video footage, police reports, and autopsy results, the statement said.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Grand jury reviews findings of investigation into deadly police crash