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A British man accused of causing a fatal crash while fleeing police in Gloucester County on Sunday night made his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon. While he was originally identified by police as Steve Hall, 28, of Waltham Cross, United Kingdom, he has now been identified by prosecutors as George Leonard, Judge Teri Giordano said during the hearing. The judge said a new complaint may be issued for him under his correct name. But Giordano did not say why police originally thought Leonard’s name was Steve Hall. “It sounds like there may be a new complaint that may be filed as you were originally identified as Steve Hall. However, the state now has information that your name is actually George Leonard,” Giordano said. “So you may receive a new complaint and may need to be processed on that new complaint at some point in the future as well.” Authorities have not said what the defendant was doing in New Jersey. Waltham Cross is a town of around 8,500 people located 12 miles north of central London. Because the fatal crash involved an encounter with police, the state Attorney General’s office is also investigating the matter. Leonard is charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and two fourth-degree counts of assault by auto. The crash occurred near the intersection of Red Bank and Hessian avenues in West Deptford shortly before 6 p.m. The defendant will remain jailed until a detention hearing on Monday, the judge said. Prosecutors have filed a motion to keep him jailed until trial. Leonard was represented by the public defender’s office on Wednesday. The incident began when West Deptford police responded to a call shortly after 5:30 p.m. Sunday reporting two intoxicated men at the PS Gas and Food Mart in the neighboring borough of National Park, according to the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office. West Deptford police patrol the borough. When officers arrived at the Hessian Avenue business, they spotted a white vehicle that matched the description of the one belonging to the men leaving the gas station, authorities said. An officer in a marked West Deptford police car followed the vehicle, which police say was driven by Leonard. Officers used emergency lights to try to pull him over, the prosecutor’s office said. Moments later, Leonard’s SUV crossed into oncoming traffic and struck another vehicle, according to investigators. The driver of the other vehicle was killed, while a passenger in the rear of that vehicle suffered a broken leg, police said. The passenger told investigators the vehicle was T-boned by Leonard’s SUV. Leonard was also injured and a front-seat passenger in his vehicle suffered a dislocated hip. Authorities have not identified the driver who was killed. But friends and family of the injured passenger said the vehicle was an Uber. A GoFundMe was established to help the injured passenger. She needed surgery for a broken femur and tibia and will require months of recovery, according to the fundraiser. Representatives for Uber have not confirmed if one of their drivers died in the crash. A witness to the incident reported seeing police lights in the distance and Leonard’s vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed before the crash, investigators said. Leonard appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash, according to the complaint filed by police. He was treated for his injuries and placed in Salem County Correctional Facility, according to jail records. Leonard participated in Wednesday’s hearing by phone from a hospital as the judge formally advised him of his charges. He said little during the hearing, but asked to make a phone call to his family. The judge told him he could speak with officials at the jail about making the call. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted on the second-degree death by auto charge. The maximum sentence for the fourth-degree assault by auto charges is 18 months.
