The wife of a man killed two years ago when he was struck by a driver being chased by police in Paterson has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and Passaic County.
Haiyan Wei, of New York, states in court papers that police officers and sheriff’s deputies acted recklessly on May 17, 2022, when they pursued a driver who ultimately crashed into Jun Ting Pan, 40, who was crossing at Market and Main streets.
A spokesman for the county did not immediately respond on Friday to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
Harold Rasbin, 33, had allegedly taken an SUV without permission and was fleeing police when he crashed into a crowd, killing Pan and sending multiple people to the hospital, according to the suit, filed May 16 in Superior Court of Passaic County.
The SUV came to rest when it struck a light pole head-on in the 200 block of Main Street and became disabled, investigators said at the time.
Video from the scene showed the silver SUV in the street with heavy front end damage. Nearby, a victim lay injured on the sidewalk. Video posted to social media showed a chaotic scene with police officers handcuffing Rasbin on the ground.
Pan died at the scene, while six other people were taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson with various injuries.
Records show Rasbin has been in the Passaic County Jail for two years on dozens of charges related to the crash, including first-degree vehicular homicide, second-degree leaving the scene of an accident and multiple counts of aggravated assault.
A surviving victim has joined Wei as a plaintiff, claiming she was seriously injured, disabled and disfigured in the crash.
The lawsuit alleges members of the city police department and sheriff’s office operated their vehicles carelessly, recklessly and with “wanton disregard” for the safety of others.
The suit also claims county and city officials failed to properly hire, train and supervise the officers involved in the chase.
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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
