Officials say director of a New Jersey state agency died in early morning accident

The executive director of the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation was killed in a traffic accident in Mercer County in the early hours of Wednesday morning. Police believe another driver ignored a red light.

A spokesman for the agency, an independent regulatory body commonly referred to as SCI, confirmed that Chadd W. Lackey, 55, of Voorhees, was killed in a car crash in Hamilton.

“We are devastated by the tragic news of Chadd’s passing,” SCI Chair Tiffany Williams Brewer said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. “On behalf of my colleagues and the entire SCI staff, we extend our prayers and deepest condolences to the Lackey family and his loved ones. Our SCI family, the NJ Bar and the law enforcement community suffered a great loss today, and we begin a time of healing and reflection on Chadd’s legacy.”

Hamilton police did not initially release Lackey’s name, but later confirmed he was the driver involved in a crash on Route 130 at 6 a.m.

Police’s preliminary investigation has revealed that a car driven by a 51-year-old Bordentown woman was traveling south on Route 130 when it ran a red light at Klockner Road and collided with an SUV driven east by Lackey, police said.

Lackey and a 44-year-old passenger in his car, as well as the Bordentown woman, were all taken to a local hospital, where Lackey died. His passenger is in critical condition, police said.

The Bordentown woman suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The accident was still being investigated on Wednesday evening.

Lackey took over as CEO of SCI in January 2020 and was the first black person to lead the agency since its founding in 1968.

“Chadd has worked his way up the ranks to serve as the Commission’s Chairman. Under his leadership, SCI has done tremendous work exposing abuses and protecting New Jersey taxpayer dollars,” said SCI Commissioner Robert Burzichelli. “This is a great loss for the citizens of the State of New Jersey and for all of us on the Commission.”

Lackey was a long-time employee of SCI and had served as deputy director and general counsel before taking over as director. Before joining New Jersey SCI, he was an assistant district attorney in Miami-Dade County, Florida, where he founded and directed the Community Prosecutions Unit. He is a graduate of Northwood University and Temple University Law School.

Any witnesses are asked to contact Officers J. Galant or B. Mandelko of the Hamilton Police Traffic Unit at 609-581-4000.

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