5 days ago
Teen pleads guilty in deadly Rochester crash that involved stolen car
A Rochester teenager on Wednesday pleaded guilty in Monroe County Court to his role in a May 2024 crash that involved a stolen car and killed a 14-year-old passenger.
Anthony Barnes Jr., now 18, pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter, the top count of the felony indictment, according to the Monroe County District Attorney's Office.
The crash, which involved a stolen vehicle, occurred on Bloss Street around 7 p.m. on May 3, 2024. Officers said that the vehicle overturned due Barnes' reckless driving.
Witnesses reported the westbound vehicle was speeding and driving erratically on Bloss Street as several people were hanging out of the car's windows. The driver lost control, the car fishtailed, overturned and came to rest in a Bloss Street yard. Six teens were in the car - ranging in age from 11 to 17. Jazzmeir Mouzon-Henton, 14, suffered serious injuries in the crash and died three days after the crash.
Barnes is to be sentenced to 5 to 15 years in the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, which is the maximum sentence allowed by New York State Law, according to the DA's Office.
Assistant District Attorney Kelly Pettrone, who prosecuted the case, said the plea was important as Barnes was taking responsibility for his "terrible decision." Jazzmeir's death, she was, "was entirely preventable."
'Jazzmeir Mouzon-Henton was a young teenager with his entire life ahead of him,' Monroe County District Attorney Sandra Doorley said in a news release. 'A series of reckless choices made by Anthony Barnes Jr. led to this devastating loss. Because of his actions, Jazzmeir's family was robbed of their loved one, and Anthony Barnes, Jr. will face the consequences of his decisions while incarcerated."
Barnes is scheduled to be sentenced by Monroe County Court Judge Julie Hahn on Aug. 14.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Anthony Barnes Jr. pleads guilty in deadly Rochester NY crash
