By Anne Levin

Princeton Mayor Mark Freda has been named as a defendant in a lawsuit related to a fatal crash that took place on Route 27 in November 2021. Freda, who is president of the Princeton First Aid & Rescue Squad and is a volunteer firefighter, was allegedly involved in a chase that took place before the fatal collision.

A teenager from Newark and a woman from Kendall Park were killed in the high-speed chase, which followed the theft of an SUV from a home on Dodds Lane. The teenager, Damajia Horner, who was 15, was driving one of the vehicles. The other was driven by Jodi Marcou, a 61-year-old fundraising coordinator at Rutgers University. Both drivers died after the SUV crashed head-on into Marcou’s Acura near Carnegie Drive.

The lawsuit naming Freda is the latest in court filings related to the case. According to a report by the radio station and website New Jersey 101.5, which first reported the suit by Marcou’s family this week, Freda’s name was added on July 21.

The lawsuit reads that he “flipped on the blue lights of the vehicle he was driving at the time and joined the police chase,” actions in violation of township, police, and First Aid/Rescue policies, it reads.

Reached by email on Friday, Freda declined comment.