The 18-year-old driver of a 2024 Tesla Model Y that crashed into a tree and killed his passenger in August is facing multiple criminal charges, including death by auto and aggravated manslaughter, according to Acting Mercer County Prosecutor Theresa Hilton and West Windsor Police Chief Robert Garofalo.
Rehan Jahangir, 18, of West Windsor Township, also has been charged with vehicular homicide and possession of a false government document, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said. He was served with the complaints Sept. 16 at a rehabilitation facility in New Brunswick.
Jahangir was driving the Tesla north on Lanwin Boulevard near Providence Drive when the electric vehicle left the road and struck a tree at 3:49 a.m. Aug. 20. The impact caused serious intrusion into the passenger compartment of the vehicle, trapping both occupants.
First responders freed the driver and passenger and applied life-saving measures. They were taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton, where passenger Daniel P. Haas died four days later. Haas was an 18-year-old West Windsor Township resident.
According to the allegations in the criminal complaints, Jahangir was driving the Tesla while under the influence of alcohol. His blood alcohol content was 0.125%, which is above the legal limit of 0.08%. He was also driving at a maximum speed of 78 miles per hour in a 35-miles-per-hour zone.
At the time of the collision, Jahangir was in possession of a fraudulent driver’s license that had an altered date of birth, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said. The minimum legal age is 21 years old to purchase, possess or consume an alcoholic beverage in New Jersey.
