Video footage from a New Jersey police officer's body cam is going viral, and the scene is unsettling. On August 21, 2021, Officer Jon Nunez noticed a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed through North Bergen.
It turned out the driver, identified by police as 24-year-old Luis Fernando Cevallos, and his passenger, 27-year-old Alexis Rodriguez, were on their first date. Tragically, it was also their last.
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Nunez pulled over Cevallos just before 2 a.m.
The footage captures the police officer approaching the car and telling Cevallos to shut it off and provide him with his license and registration. The driver complies, and a person in the background can be heard complaining to Nunez about how fast the Kia was going.
He reassures the woman that is the reason he is pulling them over and tells her to "have a nice night." He then explains to Cevallos why he pulled him over.
'You were doing at least a 100 on Kennedy Boulevard,' the officer says.
The officer admonishes Cevallos for speeding, claiming he was driving extremely fast. During the video, Rodriguez says they were speeding because she was in a hurry to get home and it was their first date. The officer tells the couple that killing each other is no way to start a relationship.
Nunez assures her it was not her fault and issued Cevallos three citations for reckless driving, failure to observe a flashing traffic signal, and violation of restrictions on a provisional license. He reminds the driver to be safe to avoid a deadly accident.
Sadly, it appears Cevallos did not heed the warning.
Nunez cleared Cevallos to go just after 2 a.m. Moments later, Officer Jessica Toro came on police radio to announce an accident near Route 1-9 and 36th Street, not far from where Nunez pulled over the young man. He responded to the call and saw something strangely familiar.
The Kia Stinger he had pulled over was in pieces.
Nunez quickly realized that the car involved in the crash with a tractor-trailer was the exact vehicle he had pulled over just minutes earlier and driven by the person who he had warned to drive carefully. The truck was reportedly pulling in to make a delivery at Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors when Cevallos' car allegedly rammed into its side going fast.
"Yo, this is the same kid. Oh my God. Oh my God," Nunez says, his tone haunting.
The top of Cevallo's car was sheared off, and it appeared the car careened another 30 to 40 feet before it stopped, according to a 2021 article in the Hudson Daily Voice.
Cevallos and Rodriguez were pronounced dead by a doctor at the scene at 2:26 a.m., according to police.
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The video is both shocking and devastating.
Drive Thru Tours uploaded the video to its YouTube channel, where it has 1.4 million views. The channel states, "We provide public footage of police incidents captured on camera. All footage is meant to be informative and educational. Our content involves incidents that have previously not been uploaded."
Many in the comment section were shocked by what they watched.
"this is heartbreaking. Young people dont think clearly and its tragic when it costs them their lives. we've all have done dumb stuff when we were young," one comment reads. "My heart goes out to their families. Thank you to all the first responders that have to go through this heart break over and over again for us!"
Most comments showed concern for Nunez.
"When he said "why didn't you just listen to me bro, was it worth it?" That broke my heart you can tell he's not okay," someone wrote.
"I feel so bad for this officer, he's got a good heart … you can tell he's distraught, sad. I hope he's ok," another viewer agreed.
Another follower sent a message to Nunez: "Dear, officer. It's not your fault. You gave that kid a break and he should have appreciated that and drove at a safe speed. The driver made the decision to drive erratic and his death and passengers death is on his hands."
Per the Daily Voice, at least $17,000 was collected on a GoFundMe account for Cevallos' family, and at least $2,400 was raised for Rodriguez's. The campaigns have since been removed.
