Walden man sentenced for road rage incident

GOSHEN - A Walden man was sentenced to prison Wednesday for his manslaughter conviction in a 2021 road rage case.

Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler said Anthony Jones, 26, of Walden, was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in state prison for his conviction for second-degree manslaughter, a felony, and six years in prison followed by three years of post-release supervision for his conviction for second-degree assault, a felony. The sentences are to run concurrently. Jones was convicted of the charges at a jury trial in August.

Hoovler said it was alleged at trial that Jones was driving a Ford Escape east on Route 17 in the town of Wallkill at about 7 p.m. on Aug. 4, 2021, when he became angry at the driver of a van carrying eight people, and caused his car to collide with the van.

The collision resulted in the deaths of three people in the van, including the driver, and serious physical injuries to four other occupants of the van. The eighth person in the van suffered less serious injuries.

Jones was taken to a local hospital, where he was treated for complaints of pain and released.

An investigation by state police and Hoovler's office determined that the collision was a result of reckless and negligent actions by Jones, and he was arrested on Sept. 12, 2022.

"While the sentence imposed in this case can never bring back the lives of those who were killed by the defendant's reckless actions, it nevertheless holds the defendant accountable for his consequential choices," Hoovler said in a statement released by his office.

However, Jones' attorney, Merrick John Dammar, said he plans to appeal the case on the grounds that the jury was tainted by one member who did extracurricular research on the case and brought that to the attention of other jurors.

"Mr. Jones was treated by the system in an unfair manner," Dammar said. "The jurors did their best but they took the position that someone had to pay for what happened. Mr. Jones has always maintained his innocence and refused several plea offers"