A New Jersey Superior Court judge sentenced Gerald Veneziano, the 41-year-old man who struck and killed first-year Northeastern student Jacob Davis in a two-vehicle collision last May, to six years in prison Feb. 14.
Along with the six years in prison, in accordance with the No Early Release Act, a mandate that requires convicted individuals of certain violent crimes serve at least 85% of their sentence before becoming eligible for parole, Veneziano is required to pay $8,961 in restitution to Davis’ family and will not be eligible to drive for five years following his release from prison.
Veneziano, who previously served as a police officer in Fairfield, New Jersey, pleaded guilty Jan. 6 to second-degree reckless vehicular homicide and driving under the influence at the time of the crash. Second-degree death by auto carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in New Jersey.
Deborah Davis, Jacob Davis’ mother, delivered an impact statement in court Feb. 14 to Judge Robert Hanna before the sentencing.
“The choices made by the defendant were just that: choices,” Deborah Davis said in her statement. “As a former police officer, he took an oath to protect and serve, but on the night of May 31, 2024, he chose to drink, drive, speed and, as a result, kill. Everyone’s heard the phrases ‘speed kills’ and ‘don’t drink and drive.’ The defendant knew the laws, but he chose to disregard them, and what appears to be all forms of common sense and decency.”
Veneziano was driving northbound around 10:30 p.m. May 31, 2024 when his 2021 Chevrolet Silverado collided with Jacob Davis’ southbound 2019 Mazda 3. Jacob 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 found that he was driving at “approximately” 90 mph at the time of the collision, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by NorthJersey.com. The speed limit near the area of the crash is 50 mph.
At the time of the crash, Jacob Davis had just finished his first year at Northeastern and was slated to graduate in 2027. Jacob Davis was a behavioral neuroscience major on the pre-med track, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Deborah Davis noted that her son made the Dean’s list both semesters of his first year at Northeastern, and “wanted to become a doctor to help not only his grandfather but also others who have Alzheimer’s,” in her impact statement.
In the months following his death, Deborah Davis created the Jacob Davis Memorial Scholarship, which will be awarded to “one or more full-time College of Science undergraduate students” at Northeastern.
“He always wanted to help people because he chose to be a good friend, someone you could depend on and a young man who was filled with integrity,” Deborah Davis wrote. “I am eternally proud of my amazing son and the man he was becoming.”
