Ryan D. Chambers
Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella announced the following additional information related to the ongoing investigation of a fatal crash that occurred in February 2025 on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Alpine, N.J. This ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Chief Matthew Finck, and the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department, under the direction of Chief Steven Shallop.
As previously reported, on Friday, February 28, 2025, at approximately 5:58 a.m., the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police responded to a serious crash involving two vehicles in the southbound direction of the Palisades Interstate Parkway, near the New York state line. Detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and investigators from the Bergen County Fatal Accident Task Force were notified, responded to the scene, and initiated a joint investigation with the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department. The investigation revealed that the vehicles involved in the collision were a 2025 Nissan Rogue, occupied by five people, and a 2019 Honda CR-V, whose sole occupant was its driver. One of the passengers of the Nissan, later identified as a 16-year-old male from New York, suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. Another occupant of the Nissan suffered serious injuries, while two other occupants and the driver suffered minor injuries. The driver and passengers were transported to an area hospital for treatment of their injuries. The driver of the Honda was not injured.
Detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, investigators from the Bergen County Fatal Accident Task Force, and the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department investigated the circumstances surrounding the collision. As a result of the initial investigation, it was ultimately determined that the 2025 Nissan Rogue was driven by an unlicensed 15-year-old juvenile from New York at the time of the crash. Furthermore, the juvenile was operating recklessly and at a high rate of speed, losing control of the vehicle. In March 2025, that juvenile was subsequently charged with various offenses, including vehicular homicide; operating a motor vehicle without a license during a fatal accident; operating a motor vehicle without a license during an accident resulting in serious bodily injury; assault by auto; and related traffic offenses. However, the investigation into the circumstances of the collision continued.
On Tuesday, May 27, 2025, the ongoing investigation revealed that one of the passengers of the 2025 Nissan Rogue, 21-year-old RYAN D. CHAMBERS, of Elmira, New York, had assumed responsibility for the care of the four juveniles in his company. Furthermore, at the time of the crash, CHAMBERS allowed the aforementioned unlicensed 15-year-old juvenile to operate the vehicle. Consequently, CHAMBERS was charged with four counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C: 24-4a(2).
On Tuesday, July 1, 2025, RYAN D. CHAMBERS was located and arrested with the assistance of officers from the Village of Elmira Heights (NY) Police Department.
On Wednesday, July 8, 2025, RYAN D. CHAMBERS was extradited back to Bergen County, NJ with the assistance of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office. CHAMBERS remains in custody at the Bergen County Jail pending a detention hearing in Bergen County Superior Court in Hackensack, NJ.
Prosecutor Mark Musella states that all of the charges filed in this matter are merely accusations, and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Prosecutor Musella would like to thank the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department, Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, and Village of Elmira Heights (NY) Police Department for their assistance in this investigation, along with the Norwood, Paramus and Tenafly Police Departments, which all participate in the Bergen County Fatal Accident Task Force.
