MAN GETS SIX YEARS IN DRUNK DRIVING DEATHS OF TWO MAPLEWOOD MEN

Harrison Allen

Harrison Allen, the Livingston man whose drunk driving led to the tragic deaths of two Maplewood men and the serious injuries to two others, was sentenced to six years in prison Friday for the 2013 incident that led to the installation of four-way stop signs in the neighborhood.

Allen, 21, was behind the wheel when he hit a car carrying Tamir Harry, 16, and Kevin Noel, 21, who died in the August 2013 crash. Harry's brother, Tahsir, and another man, Rodney Lovius, were seriously injured in the crash.

NJ.com reports:

With his family and friends sitting behind him, Allen wiped tears from his eyes and grew emotional during the hearing.

“I am truly sorry for the accident that I have caused,” said Allen, the son of former Montclair Fire Chief Kevin Allen. “I will make it my life’s mission to make sure that this does not happen again.”

Allen, who has no prior criminal record, had pleaded guilty on Sept. 9 to vehicular homicide and assault by auto charges. Under the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to recommend a six-year prison sentence.

Law enforcement sources have said Allen was going twice the local speed limit when he drove his 2013 Chrysler 200 through the intersection of South 4th Street and Essex Avenue, slamming into a 2001 Nissan Sentra with the four men inside.

Tamir Harry and Noel, 21, were ejected from the Sentra and died a short time later. Tahsir Harry and Rodney Lovius were seated in the back seat at the time, and were critically injured in the crash.

The incident sparked outrage in the community and prompted Township officials to call for more oversight of speeding in the area after it was revealed Allen was going twice the legal limit.
 
Eventually, a four-way stop sign was placed in the intersection and plans were announced for a permanent memorial to the deceased men at Memorial Park.