The father of a New Jersey man, recently convicted in a fatal hit-and-run, surprisingly placed the blame on the deceased pedestrian.
Joe Jacobs, a prominent attorney with connections to former Governor Phil Murphy, was in high spirits on Wednesday morning after the Democratic leader pardoned his son, Harris Jacobs, for the September 2022 incident that claimed the life of 76-year-old Orlando Fraga.
At 66, the influential figure told the Daily Mail he felt ‘very happy’ and ‘pleased’ with his son’s exoneration.
Joe fervently defended Harris, asserting, “The accident wasn’t my son’s fault. It was the pedestrian who stepped into the street.”
He explained that Harris, who chose to call him instead of 911 and left the scene after hitting Fraga, did so because he was in a state of ‘dissociation’ following the accident.
The father also expressed his anger over the jury’s decision to convict his son of Fraga’s death, despite the pardon from Murphy.
Harris, 28, was informed of Murphy’s decision just before a jury found him guilty on Tuesday morning.
Joe strongly believes jurors ‘should’ve never been able to reach a verdict’ in his son’s case because he was exonerated.
Harris Jacobs, 28, was pardoned by former New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy on Tuesday, just before he was found guilty of killing an elderly man in a hit-and-run in 2022
Jacobs’ father, Joe Jacobs (pictured with Murphy), told the Daily Mail the fatal accident was not his son’s fault
Lou Barbone, Harris’s attorney, told the Daily Mail his client was informed by the state attorney that a pardon would be granted at 7.30 a.m. The pardon was officially issued at 8.30am by Murphy.
According to the lawyer, ‘we did not have it by the time the jury announced it had a verdict at 10am.’
Now, Harris’s legal team plans to file a motion to vacate his conviction ‘based on proof the pardon was granted prior to the jury’s verdict.’
After Harris hit Fraga around 3.30am that day, he was seen in surveillance footage exiting his car, walking over to the victim in the middle of the road, and leaning over him two times, according to the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
Fraga, who lived in Atlantic City for nearly four decades, died at the scene.
Harris was arrested about seven hours later and charged with ‘second-degree knowingly leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident’.
His first trial ended in a mistrial in May after the jury was unable to make a unanimous decision.
This time they opted to convict – but Murphy’s pardon means there will be no justice for Fraga or his family.
Fraga, who lived in Atlantic City for nearly four decades, died at the scene
Harris was arrested about seven hours later and charged with second-degree knowingly leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident
Harris, who was released from jail pending his trial, lives a fun-filled life with friends and family, according to his Facebook profile
Barbone said his client did all he could do that morning.
‘The accident was a tragic no escape impact in light of the pedestrian walking into the lane of travel at a construction site area,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘There was nothing Harris could do to avoid the accident.’
The attorney said Harris checked Fraga’s pulse and had a bystander call the police.
He then checked the victim again before ‘realizing he had expired,’ Barbone added.
Similar to what Joe said about his son’s decision to leave the scene, Barbone said his client suffered an ‘emotional trigger’ in that moment.
The conviction would have carried a mandatory sentence of five to ten years behind bars.
Public records show that he and his father live in a $675,000 home with an in-ground pool in Linwood, an affluent city in the Garden State
Joe (pictured) strongly believes jurors ‘should’ve never been able to reach a verdict’ in his son’s case because he was pardoned
Harris, who was released from jail pending his trial, lives a fun-filled life with friends and family, according to his Facebook profile.
The University of Maryland alum was seen in snaps playing golf, attending sporting events, and traveling.
Public records show that he and his father live in a $675,000 home with an inground pool in Linwood, an affluent city in the Garden State.
Meanwhile, Faraga, who moved to the US because he ‘wanted to better his life’ and seek ‘new beginnings, had his life cut short.
Fraga was born in Santa Clara, Cuba, and was known to his loved ones as ‘Big Cuba,’ according to his obituary.
He was seen in snaps playing golf, attending sporting events, and traveling with his friends on social media
He moved to America in 1980 and resided in Atlantic City – a southern New Jersey city known for its beach and casino – for 37 years.
Fraga, who enjoyed fishing and watching sports, was a father, grandfather, brother and friend to many.
The Daily Mail contacted Murphy for comment.
Murphy’s pardon of Jacobs echoes the actions of former President Joe Biden, who pre-emptively pardoned his two brothers, sister and COVID expert Dr Anthony Fauci during the final moments of his presidency.
