A Kenyan truck driver was sentenced to six years in prison for causing a fatal road rage crash on the New Jersey Turnpike that killed another truck driver.
Joseph M. Nyandwaro, 41, originally from Kenya, and previously a resident of Minnesota, was sentenced on Friday after pleading guilty to second-degree reckless vehicular homicide.
Nyandwaro, who was living in Pearland, Texas at the time of his arrest, was also charged in the case with leaving the scene of a fatal accident and tampering with evidence.
The crash occurred on the evening of June 22, 2025, in Woolwich Township, Gloucester County.
According to New Jersey State Police and court documents, Nyandwaro was driving a tractor-trailer northbound when he became involved in a road rage incident with another tractor-trailer driven by Osman Aden, 40, of Minnesota.
Investigators said witnesses observed Nyandwaro repeatedly blocking Aden from passing him on the highway. Dash camera footage and witness testimony later showed that Nyandwaro intentionally rammed Aden’s tractor-trailer, forcing it into the left concrete barrier.
The impact sent Aden’s truck across the roadway, where it struck several trees. Aden died from his injuries at the scene, police said.
Dashcam caught him laughing after crash
Dashboard video recovered from Nyandwaro’s truck showed him laughing as he drove away from the crash site. Authorities described the case as a potential road rage incident. It remains unclear whether Nyandwaro knew at the time that Aden had been killed.
Nyandwaro did not stop after the crash. According to investigators, he exited the New Jersey Turnpike at Interchange 2 and returned to the roadway approximately 90 minutes later at Interchange 18W.
He later surrendered to police on Tuesday, July 1.
Police obtained dash camera footage from both tractor-trailers involved in the crash, which confirmed the sequence of events. Investigators also found remnants of Aden’s truck paint on Nyandwaro’s vehicle. Authorities said Nyandwaro attempted to remove evidence of the collision by using duct tape and cleaning solutions to conceal damage to his truck.
Prosecutors said Nyandwaro initially lied to his employer, claiming he was not involved in the crash and that his truck was not damaged. However, the trucking company later turned over video footage from the vehicle, which showed both the road ahead and Nyandwaro inside the cab at the time of the incident.
In September, a grand jury indicted Nyandwaro on multiple charges, including second-degree vehicular homicide, second-degree knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and fourth-degree tampering with evidence.
Under the terms of a plea agreement reached in December, prosecutors agreed to recommend a six-year prison sentence. The agreement also requires Nyandwaro to serve 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole
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