Ferrari driver going to trial in death of popular Cliffside Park store owner
By Mary K. Miraglia
HACKENSACK, N.J. (March 13, 2017) — The key defendant in the Ferrari-racing death of Stephen Lenge of Kinnelon is set for trial June 6.
Joseph Ferretti, 33, of Dumont will be back in court one more time with his defense attorney, Brian Neary of Hackensack, March 24 before the trial starts, Presiding Judge Susan J. Steele said Monday. She also said she will be handing the case over, along with all the rest of her responsibilities, to Judge Margaret M. Foti.
Steele will soon be mandatory retirement age, 70 for judges, and is stepping down at the end of the month when Judge Foti will take over as Presiding Judge of Bergen County Criminal Courts.
Ferretti’s co defendant, Joseph Meyer of Orlando, Florida pleaded guilty and was sentenced Feb. 24 to a “back end split” of five years probation against 364 days in the Bergen County Jail. Meyer, who was an IT professional and a novice driver when the accident that killed Lenge happened on Mother’s Day, May 13, 2012, also agreed to testify against Ferretti. Investigators said both men were speeding on Berry Lane Road, and both lost control of their high-powered Ferraris, but Ferretti is the one who crossed into oncoming traffic, hit Lenge’s motorcycle, and caused his death.
The two men were employees of Gotham Dream Cars of Englewood, a business that rented high performance racing cars to people who drive on a closed track accompanied by professional drivers. Ferretti and Meyer, investigators say, were racing on the local road. Meyer lost control first when his vehicle hit a curb, then Ferretti, who was driving behind him, lost control and crossed into the oncoming lane.
Lenge, 56, married and the father of two, owned a record store in Cliffside Park called Things from England and was widely known throughout the East Bergen area, especially among music buffs of all ages. He was on his way to work at a music festival in MetLife Stadium when he was killed.
Ferretti is charged with vehicular homicide and aggravated manslaughter.
