A former New Jersey police detective who prosecutors said was impaired by marijuana when his pickup truck launched through the air and crushed a married couple’s vehicle has now been sentenced to spend nearly the next decade and a half behind bars in a case that shocked the state and devastated two families.

John P. McClave III, a once-respected Hillside police detective, stood in court Friday as a judge handed down a combined 17-year prison sentence for the horrifying 2021 crash that killed Angel L. Acevedo Jr. and his wife, Daniela Correia Salles, in Tinton Falls.

The sentencing marked the latest chapter in a tragedy that began on what should have been an ordinary October evening but ended with a violent collision so catastrophic that investigators said McClave’s truck became airborne before slamming directly into the victims’ car.

Now 39 years old, McClave will be required to serve nearly 14 years and six months before he is eligible for parole, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

For the loved ones of the Baltimore couple killed in the crash, however, no amount of prison time can erase the trauma left behind.

The case drew intense attention across New Jersey not only because of the shocking nature of the collision itself, but because the man behind the wheel was a law enforcement officer entrusted with upholding the law.

Prosecutors said McClave was driving to work at the Hillside Police Department around 7:30 p.m. on October 9, 2021, when disaster unfolded near an overpass along Asbury Avenue in Tinton Falls.

Authorities later revealed that McClave’s pickup truck suddenly left the lanes of the Garden State Parkway and continued forward without braking or changing direction.

Investigators described a terrifying sequence of events.

The truck reportedly crossed the shoulder, traveled over an embankment, and launched into the air before crashing directly onto the couple’s passenger vehicle below.

The impact was devastating.

Angel L. Acevedo Jr., 40, and Daniela Correia Salles, 35, both from Baltimore, Maryland, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Emergency crews arriving that night encountered twisted wreckage and a crash scene that investigators would later describe as catastrophic.

McClave himself survived the collision but suffered serious injuries. He was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he was treated for injuries authorities said were severe but not considered life-threatening.

What investigators uncovered afterward would become central to the criminal case against him.

A blood sample taken from McClave reportedly tested positive for THC, the psychoactive substance associated with marijuana use.

Court documents also stated that alcohol was detected in his system, though prosecutors acknowledged his blood alcohol content remained below New Jersey’s legal limit for intoxication.

Still, prosecutors argued that McClave was impaired at the time of the crash and should never have been behind the wheel.

That argument ultimately convinced a jury.

In March, jurors in Ocean County convicted McClave on two counts of vehicular manslaughter after hearing evidence detailing the violent collision and the toxicology findings connected to the former detective.

The trial itself carried unusual complications because of McClave’s law enforcement background.

Originally connected to Monmouth County, the case was transferred to neighboring Ocean County due to what prosecutors described only as a “potential conflict of interest.”

Officials never fully elaborated on the exact concerns behind the venue change, and a spokesperson for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office declined to provide further explanation.

But the decision underscored the sensitivity surrounding a case involving a police officer accused of causing a deadly crash while impaired.

Throughout the legal proceedings, prosecutors painted a picture of reckless behavior with irreversible consequences.

According to testimony and investigative records, McClave’s truck showed no evidence of slowing before the collision occurred.

That detail became particularly haunting for the victims’ families, who struggled to understand how a routine drive could suddenly end in unimaginable violence.

Friends and loved ones remembered Acevedo and Salles as a deeply loving couple whose lives revolved around family, positivity, and enjoying life’s simplest moments together.

Their deaths sent shockwaves through both Maryland and New Jersey.

Obituaries described them as kind-hearted people who brought laughter and warmth into every room they entered.

Loved ones said the couple shared a contagious sense of humor and a deep affection for those around them.

In the years since the crash, relatives have reportedly continued mourning not only the loss of two lives, but the future that was stolen from them in a matter of seconds.

Courtroom emotions reportedly ran high as the sentencing hearing unfolded Friday.

Family members of the victims addressed the court while McClave listened as a now-disgraced former detective facing the collapse of both his career and personal life.

Some relatives spoke about birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays forever changed by the absence of Acevedo and Salles.

Others described the emotional toll of reliving the crash details during the lengthy criminal proceedings.

Meanwhile, McClave’s downfall has also become a sobering story about the devastating consequences of impaired driving — even when alcohol levels remain below the legal threshold.

Legal experts have noted that marijuana-related driving cases continue presenting growing challenges across the United States as cannabis legalization expands in many states.

Unlike alcohol, where legal intoxication limits are more clearly defined, impairment connected to marijuana often becomes a more complicated issue in courtrooms.

Still, prosecutors in McClave’s case insisted the evidence clearly demonstrated that his ability to safely operate a vehicle had been compromised.

Jurors ultimately agreed.

The former detective had already faced severe professional consequences before Friday’s sentencing.

McClave was suspended without pay after criminal charges were filed against him in March 2022, ending a career in law enforcement now overshadowed by one fatal evening.

Jail records show he remained held in Ocean County custody following sentencing as he awaited transfer to state prison.

The tragedy itself continues haunting many residents who followed the case from the beginning.

The image of a pickup truck flying off the parkway and crashing onto another vehicle sounded almost impossible to comprehend when details first emerged in 2021.

But investigators reconstructed the horrifying moments using crash evidence, witness accounts, and forensic analysis.

Authorities said McClave’s vehicle crossed hundreds of feet after leaving the roadway before becoming airborne upon striking the embankment.

The force of the collision left little chance for survival for the victims trapped inside the Toyota passenger car.

For prosecutors, the crash represented far more than a traffic accident.

They repeatedly emphasized that the deaths were preventable.

That message resonated strongly during sentencing as officials argued for substantial prison time to reflect the severity of the loss suffered by the victims’ families.

The judge ultimately imposed consecutive prison terms of eight years and six months for each victim, bringing the total sentence to 17 years.

Because of New Jersey sentencing rules tied to violent offenses, McClave must serve most of that punishment before becoming eligible for parole.

The sentence closed one legal chapter but left countless emotional wounds unresolved.

Questions continue lingering about what exactly caused McClave to lose control that night and why no attempt to brake or correct course was detected before impact.

Investigators never suggested mechanical failure played a role.

Instead, toxicology evidence and crash reconstruction findings became the foundation of the prosecution’s case.

Public reaction to the sentencing has been deeply divided in some corners.

Many expressed sympathy for the victims’ families and argued the punishment was justified given the devastating consequences of impaired driving.

Others reflected on the tragic collapse of McClave’s own life, noting that one decision permanently destroyed multiple futures.

But for those closest to Acevedo and Salles, the focus has remained squarely on the lives lost.

Friends have continued posting tributes online remembering the couple’s humor, generosity, and love for one another.

Photos shared on social media show smiling vacations, family gatherings, and ordinary moments now transformed into painful memories.

Some loved ones said the hardest part has been accepting how quickly everything changed.

One moment, the couple was alive and traveling together.

Seconds later, their vehicle was crushed beneath a truck falling from above.

The emotional weight of that reality has lingered through every stage of the criminal case.

Meanwhile, the sentencing has once again sparked wider conversations about impaired driving and accountability within law enforcement.

Critics argue police officers should face especially serious consequences when accused of breaking laws they are sworn to enforce.

Supporters of the victims say the case demonstrates that no one should be above accountability regardless of profession or badge.

The prosecution’s handling of the case — including moving the trial to a different county — also reflected the scrutiny surrounding investigations involving officers.

For many observers, maintaining public trust required ensuring the case was handled without any appearance of favoritism.

Ultimately, jurors delivered a guilty verdict after reviewing evidence prosecutors believed clearly showed impairment and recklessness.

Now, McClave faces years behind bars while two families continue living with irreversible grief.

The stretch of roadway near Asbury Avenue where the crash occurred has since returned to normal traffic flow.

Cars continue passing beneath the Garden State Parkway overpass every day.

But for those connected to the tragedy, the location carries memories of flashing emergency lights, twisted metal, and devastating phone calls that changed lives forever.

The sentencing may bring a measure of legal closure, but it cannot restore the future that Angel Acevedo Jr. and Daniela Correia Salles lost on that October evening.

Nor can it erase the painful irony at the center of the case — that a police detective driving to work allegedly while impaired became responsible for one of the most shocking fatal crashes the community had seen in years.

As McClave prepares to enter state prison, the families of the victims are left carrying something far heavier than a prison sentence: the permanent absence of two people they loved.

And long after the courtroom emptied Friday, that reality remained the most devastating part of all.