Gerald Veneziano, the 41-year-old man who struck and killed first-year Northeastern student Jacob Davis in a two-vehicle collision in New Jersey last May, admitted Jan. 6 to driving under the influence of alcohol and over the speed limit at the time of the crash.
Veneziano, a former police officer, pleaded guilty to second-degree death — otherwise known as vehicular homicide — by auto and a driving while intoxicated offense.
Davis was a behavioral neuroscience major on the pre-med track, according to his LinkedIn. At the time of the accident in May 2023, he had just finished his first year at Northeastern and was slated to graduate in 2027.
A scholarship was created in memory of Davis following his death. The Jacob Davis Memorial Scholarship is awarded to “one or more full-time College of Science undergraduate students” at Northeastern.
The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office has recommended Veneziano serve a six-year sentence in accordance with New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, which requires 85% of the sentence to be served before parole eligibility. Under state law, Veneziano’s attorney is unable to argue for less than a five-year sentence.
At his court appearance Jan. 6, Veneziano admitted to Judge Robert Hanna that he did not “remember the incident,” but based on the evidence he was presented with, Veneziano acknowledged his guilt of the offense, according to NorthJersey.com.
When asked in court about whether he was driving above the speed limit at the time of the collision, Veneziano responded, “I don’t remember the incident,” but added, “based on the discovery, yes, I did.”
Veneziano, who previously served as a police officer in Fairfield, New Jersey, admitted to taking longer to “understand and recollect things,” due to a brain injury from the collision in addition to the effects of a head wound from being shot 13 years ago that left him with life-threatening injuries.
Veneziano was driving northbound late at night when his 2021 Chevrolet Silverado collided with Davis’ southbound 2019 Mazda 3 in May 2024. Davis was pronounced dead at the scene, while Veneziano was transported to a hospital with serious internal injuries.
Police found “a number of” open alcohol containers in the vicinity of Veneziano’s vehicle, and a subsequent investigation showed that he was driving about 90 mph at the time of the crash, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by NorthJersey.com. The speed limit around the area of the crash is 50 mph.
Veneziano will be subject to all fines, fees and penalties for driving with a blood alcohol content level over 0.10% offense under New Jersey law, including loss of driver’s license between seven months and a year, the installation of an interlock device in his vehicle, 12 to 48 hours in a state Intoxicated Driver Resource Center and a potential 30-day jail term.
He will also pay restitution of $8,961.23 to the Davis family. Veneziano’s sentencing is expected to occur next month.
