Crime & Safety

Family of Naugatuck Man Killed in Crash is Suing Others Involved

Affidavit says driver was traveling more than 100 mph.

The family of a Naugatuck man who died in a car accident in October is suing others involved in the crash.

The family of Korey Jordan, who was 19 when he died in the Oct. 31 crash, is suing the driver of the car in which he was a passenger, plus the driver and owner of the car in which he was allegedly racing at the time of the accident in Seymour, according to the Valley Independent Sentinel.

The 21-year-old driver of the car in which Jordan was driving, Manuel Esteves, faces charges of drunken driving, second-degree manslaughter, second-degree assault and reckless driving.

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They were leaving a party and Esteves was allegedly racing another vehicle, traveling at speeds of more than 100 mph, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. 

Passenger Joseph Staffier describes a car chase with a friend in the affidavit as such: He was following the car, and "...Manny slammed on the brakes and cut back in, in front of the other car,” the warrant says, adding that Staffier estimated they were going “about 110 MPH” at the time.“

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"He remembered hitting the curb and then seeing a telephone pole in front of them,” the warrant states. “He saw Manny turn the wheel to the left and the tires had no grip and they just right into the pole. He said he knew there was no way they were going to avoid the pole and remembered thinking they were all going to die.”

The Seymour Police Department said Esteves had a blood alcohol level of about .16 at the time of the accident; in Connecticut, the legal limit for someone under 21 is .02 and for someone 21 or older is .08. 


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