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Jodi Marcou

Age : 61

Gender : Female

Race : White

Date : 11/07/2021

Location : 697 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 : Bystander killed by police chase crash

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

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REASON WHY PURSUIT WAS INITIATED:
Princeton Police were investigating an attempted theft of a Ferrari from a Clover Lane residence when Officer Luis Martinez saw a stolen Range Rover and a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee connected to the vehicle-theft activity. Martinez followed the Range Rover and attempted to stop it. Litigation later alleged that Princeton Mayor Mark Freda separately pursued the Jeep that ultimately struck Jodi Marcou.
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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 after residents reported that people were attempting to steal vehicles from a driveway. While Officer Luis Martinez was investigating, a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee and a recently stolen Range Rover drove through the neighborhood. Martinez followed the Range Rover and attempted a traffic stop when it accelerated away.
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A brief police pursuit followed. Police alleged they discontinued the pursuit at approximately 1:08 p.m. because the Range Rover was being driven dangerously. The official prosecutor’s investigation later documented that Martinez had been pursuing the Range Rover rather than the Jeep that ultimately crashed into Marcou.
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The later civil litigation revealed a separate and previously undisclosed issue involving Princeton Mayor Mark Freda, who was president of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad and a volunteer firefighter. Surveillance footage showed the stolen Jeep traveling south on Snowden Lane and Freda’s red Ford Expedition following only about six seconds later. The lawsuit alleged Freda activated his blue emergency light and conducted an unauthorized high-speed pursuit of the Jeep despite having no police authority.
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Freda initially told investigators that he activated his blue lights only after the crash. He later submitted a supplemental statement through his attorney acknowledging that he had activated the lights earlier. Freda told investigators he was traveling approximately 55 mph on Route 27 while following the Jeep and that several vehicles separated him from it. He said he watched the Jeep begin swerving before the collision.
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At approximately 1:09 p.m., the Jeep crossed the double-yellow line on Princeton-Kingston Road near Carnegie Drive and struck Marcou’s westbound 2016 Acura RDX head-on. Marcou and the 15-year-old driver of the Jeep were pronounced dead at the scene. A 14-year-old passenger in the Jeep suffered critical injuries and was transported to Capital Health Regional Medical Center.
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Jodi Marcou was a Rutgers University development specialist and fundraising coordinator who had lived in Kendall Park with her husband David for 24 years. She was the mother of two and had served for years as a member and vice-chair of the South Brunswick Human Relations Commission; a bench in Veterans Park was later dedicated in her memory.
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TOTAL FATALITIES/INJURIES:
2 Fatalities, 1 Critical Injury.
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EYEWITNESS OR FAMILY STATEMENTS:
Marcou’s family later challenged the original public account after civil discovery revealed Freda’s involvement. Their amended lawsuit alleged that Freda’s pursuit and use of emergency lights contributed to the dangerous driving that immediately preceded the fatal collision and that his actions violated municipal, police department and Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad policies.
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DISPOSITION:
No criminal charges against Officer Luis Martinez were located for his role in initiating the police pursuit. The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office documented that Martinez discontinued his pursuit of the Range Rover because of safety concerns. No criminal charge against Mayor Mark Freda for his alleged role in pursuing the Jeep was located.
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LITIGATION:
David Marcou filed a wrongful-death lawsuit on behalf of Jodi Marcou’s estate in June 2022. After discovery revealed Freda’s involvement, the estate amended the case in 2023 to add Freda, the Municipality of Princeton and the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad. The lawsuit alleges Freda had no authority to activate emergency lights or conduct a high-speed pursuit and that his actions contributed to the fatal crash. As of January 2026, the Marcou litigation remained pending, and Princeton retained additional outside legal counsel in connection with the case.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND:
Luis Martinez had been appointed as a probationary Princeton police officer effective 07/12/2021, meaning he had been on the department for only about four months when this fatal pursuit occurred.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.towntopics.com/2023/08/18/mayor-freda-cited-in-lawsuit-about-2021-fatal-crash/
https://planetprinceton.com/2023/08/18/princeton-mayor-named-in-lawsuit-related-to-2021-car-theft-incident-and-fatal-crash-on-route-27/
https://www.dailyprincetonian.com/article/2023/09/princeton-news-broadfocus-mayor-mark-freda-car-crash-lawsuit-two-dead-sued
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/
https://patch.com/new-jersey/princeton/princeton-mayor-joined-car-chase-resulted-fatal-crash-lawsuit
https://planetprinceton.com/2021/11/08/prosecutors-office-releases-name-of-adult-victim-in-route-27-crash-in-princeton/
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/princeton/sections/police-and-fire/articles/update-on-car-theft-turned-deadly-kendall-park-woman-killed
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/jodi-marcou-obituary?pid=200590186
https://patch.com/new-jersey/southbrunswick/bench-veterans-park-south-brunswick-dedicated-jodi-marcou