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Damajia Jenay “Majia” Horner

Age : 15

Gender : Female

Race : Black

Date : 11/07/2021

Location : Princeton-Kingston Road / Route 27 near Carnegie Drive

City : Princeton

County : Mercer

State : New Jersey

Agency : Princeton Police Department

Officer(s) :Luis Martinez

Cause of Death : Vehicle

Event : Driver killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Princeton Police were investigating attempted vehicle thefts in the Littlebrook neighborhood after residents reported teenagers attempting to steal vehicles, including a Ferrari, from a Clover Lane residence. Officer Luis Martinez encountered two stolen vehicles associated with the activity and attempted to stop a Range Rover. Damajia Horner was driving a separate stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee. Later civil litigation revealed that Princeton Mayor Mark Freda allegedly followed Horner’s Jeep with a blue emergency light activated despite not being a police officer.
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EVENT NARRATIVE:
On 11/07/2021, at approximately 12:40 p.m., Princeton Police responded to the 100 block of Clover Lane for reported attempted vehicle thefts. Fifteen-year-old Damajia Jenay “Majia” Horner was driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee that had previously been reported stolen in Pequannock Township. A 14-year-old boy was riding with her.
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Officer Luis Martinez pursued the other stolen vehicle, a Range Rover. Police alleged they discontinued the pursuit on Snowden Lane because of dangerous driving. Subsequent civil discovery, however, revealed a separate pursuit involving Horner’s Jeep: Princeton Mayor Mark Freda, president of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad and a volunteer firefighter, allegedly followed the Jeep while displaying a blue emergency light. Surveillance footage reportedly showed Freda’s red Ford Expedition following the Jeep by approximately six seconds.
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Freda was not a police officer and the lawsuit alleges he had no authority to conduct a vehicle pursuit. Freda initially told investigators that he activated his blue light only after the crash, but later submitted a supplemental statement acknowledging that he had activated it earlier. Freda reported traveling approximately 55 mph while following the Jeep and seeing it begin to swerve before the collision.
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At approximately 1:09 p.m., Horner’s Jeep traveled east on Princeton-Kingston Road, crossed the double-yellow line near Carnegie Drive and struck a westbound Acura RDX driven by 61-year-old Jodi Marcou head-on. Horner and Marcou were pronounced dead at the scene. Horner’s 14-year-old passenger suffered critical injuries and was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center.
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Majia was born on 09/23/2006 and attended Newark KIPP Collegiate High School. Her mother, Jennifer Horner, described her as funny, smart, loving and protective of her family. Majia loved sneakers and hoped to become an entrepreneur. Her obituary describes her as a girl who could “light up the room with her smile” and identifies a large family of siblings whom she left behind.
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The night before Majia died, she had been home in Newark watching movies with her family. Her mother said Majia was the “rock of the family” and emphasized that the crash should not define her daughter’s life. Nearly 400 people reportedly attended Majia’s memorial.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 1 Critical Injury.
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EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Jennifer Horner publicly pushed back against portraying her daughter simply as a criminal, saying Majia had made a terrible decision but was a normal 15-year-old girl rather than a habitual car thief. Horner also expressed grief for Jodi Marcou’s death and acknowledged the devastating consequences of her daughter’s actions.
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DISPOSITION:
No criminal charges against Officer Luis Martinez were located for his role in initiating the police pursuit. No criminal charges against Mayor Mark Freda were located for his alleged role in pursuing Horner’s Jeep. The Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad later disciplined Freda over the incident, voting 8–1 to suspend him for 30 days after his involvement became public through the litigation.
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LITIGATION:
Majia’s family does not appear to have filed a wrongful-death action against Princeton, Freda, Martinez or the police, and I did not locate an attorney publicly representing Majia’s estate in a claim arising from her death. Instead, Majia and her mother Jennifer Horner became defendants in the wrongful-death litigation filed by Jodi Marcou’s estate. The Marcou lawsuit alleged that Jennifer failed to adequately supervise her daughter.
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That litigation subsequently produced evidence that shifted part of the scrutiny toward Freda. Hanover Insurance filed a third-party complaint against Freda, the Municipality of Princeton and the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad, alleging Freda’s actions contributed to the fatal crash. Marcou’s estate then amended its complaint after discovery revealed Freda had allegedly pursued Horner with his emergency light activated. The litigation remained active in 2026.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Luis Martinez had been appointed as a probationary Princeton police officer effective 07/12/2021 and therefore had been with the department for only about four months when this fatal pursuit occurred. Mayor Mark Freda was not a police officer, but his alleged pursuit became a significant issue in the subsequent litigation and resulted in a 30-day suspension from the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2023/09/princeton-news-broadfocus-mayor-mark-freda-car-crash-lawsuit-two-dead-sued
https://planetprinceton.com/2023/08/18/princeton-mayor-named-in-lawsuit-related-to-2021-car-theft-incident-and-fatal-crash-on-route-27/
https://planetprinceton.com/2021/11/08/prosecutors-office-releases-name-of-adult-victim-in-route-27-crash-in-princeton/
https://dailyvoice.com/article/she-wasnt-a-bad-kid-mom-of-15-year-old-killed-in-double-fatal-stolen-car-crash-speaks-out/
https://www.plintoncurry.com/obituaries/damajia-horner
https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2024/10/princeton-news-broadfocus-mark-freda-mayor-unopposed-election-town
https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2026/01/princeton-news-broadfocus-town-council-retains-law-firm-car-crash-lawsuit-reviews-police-department
https://nj1015.com/lawsuit-says-princeton-nj-mayor-joined-fatal-high-speed-chase-mark-freda-jodi-marcou/