Family wants answers on what preceded Paterson crash that killed Chinese restaurant owner
PATERSON — Two and a half weeks after the owner of a Chinese restaurant was struck and killed by a car while making a delivery, his family is seeking answers.
At a Thursday press conference held near the site of the fatal crash on Main Street, a lawyer representing the family of Junting Pan said his firm would be investigating the circumstances of the crash.
Pan, 41, died May 17 when he was struck by a car at the intersection of Market and Main. Prosecutors said Harold Rasbin, of Orlando, Florida, was driving a stolen car when he allegedly lost control and struck multiple vehicles. Rasbin hit a police car and several pedestrians, including Pan, who was pronounced dead at the scene, a few hundred feet from the restaurant he owned and operated, New Sin Lee.
Attorney John Elefterakis was flanked by Pan's widow, Haiyan Wei, and multiple supporters as he announced the investigation, which he said would be to determine whether a police pursuit preceded the crash that killed Pan.
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"There is reason to believe that there was an active pursuit going on of [Rasbin], which contributed to and led to this dangerous situation occurring," Elefterakis said.
Just days before Pan died, acting state Attorney General Matthew Platkin loosened newly implemented restrictions that had limited police pursuits. The change allowed police to engage suspected car thieves after an uptick in car thefts. Rasbin is accused of having stolen the car that struck Pan.
"Despite those laws being loosened and the standards being loosened for officers to engage in pursuit, these pursuits must not continue when they endanger the public," Elefterakis said.
"We and the family are looking for answers," he added.
In addition to announcing his own firm's investigation, Elefterakis called on the Attorney General's Office to investigate the crash.
It's not clear whether Paterson police were involved in a chase before the crash on May 17. In the affidavit of probable cause, police said Rasbin was "attempting to elude" the officer whose car he allegedly hit when he then allegedly struck the pedestrians at Market and Main. The affidavit did not say whether the police car had been chasing Rasbin.
The Paterson Police Department did not provide comment on the investigation, nor did the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, which is investigating the crash.
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Elefterakis acknowledged Thursday that the facts were still unclear but hoped that the city and county would cooperate and provide details on the crash. He said he anticipated that the investigation would take a few weeks and potentially longer, if litigation is necessary to obtain any information regarding the crash.
"If [the city] is tight-lipped and not being forthcoming, then we'll have to initiate a suit to get those facts in discovery," he said.
Elefterakis also said a lawsuit could result from the investigation, depending on what his firm's findings are.
Wei, in Mandarin, urged the city to engage with the investigation.
"[I would] like the government of Paterson to fully cooperate with the lawyer's investigations," Wei said through a translator and family representative, Henry Chen, "so we are able to prevent the next tragedy from happening in this town."
Liam Quinn is a breaking news reporter for NorthJersey.com. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
Email: quinnl@northjersey.com
Twitter: @Liam_D_Quinn
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Paterson NJ: Lawyer says police chase may have preceded crash
