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Morris man beat friend to death with fists on Route 80 in Elmwood Park after ZZ Top concert, prosecutor says

YOU READ IT HERE FIRST: A Morris County man beat his friend to death after their car crashed on Route 80 in Elmwood Park and then walked away following a ZZ Top concert in Englewood, a prosecutor told a judge in Hackensack this morning.

Photo Credit: CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter Mary K. Miraglia
Photo Credit: CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter Mary K. Miraglia
Photo Credit: Courtesy BERGEN COUNTY SHERIFF

The judge nonetheless reduced bail for Jared Clackner from $500,000 to to $300,000 full cash with no 10% option, citing his ties to the community.

Clackner was a passenger in a blue 1996 Oldmobile Sierra driven by his friend, 61-year-old William Henning, that New Jersey State Police said crashed into a guardrail at milepost 61.6 during an argument between the two Denville men following the BergenPAC concert last Tuesday night.

SEE: Aggravated manslaughter charge for ZZ Top fan in friend’s Route 80 crash death in Elmwood Park

They initially withheld further details pending an investigation.

During a bail hearing in Hackensack this morning, defense attorney Timothy Smith contended that authorities over-charged his client with first-degree manslaughter and that both threw punches.

Assistant Bergen County Prosecutor Danielle Grootenboer countered that Clackner — a 53-year-old self-employed painter and father of two — beat his friend to death with his fists.

“It wasn’t even a fight,” she said: Henning never connected.

In fact, Clackner told State Police that he “hit him as hard as he could, then walked away” — leaving Henning to die of blunt-force trauma from the blows, which included several broken ribs, Grootenboer said.

Sources told CLIFFVIEW PILOT that when police arrived, Henning was partially out of the car, which was still in drive up against the guardrail. They picked up Clackner further down the highway, they said.

SEE: Englewood concert-goer killed, friend charged in Route 80 crash in Elmwood Park

Superior Court Judge Edward A. Jerejian told Clackner last week that the aggravated manslaughter charge carries the additional weight of an action committed “under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.”

This morning, Presiding Superior Court Judge Liliana DeAvila-Silebi reminded Clackner that he’s accused of a first-degree crime.

However, she said: “It’s very obvious the family, business and community ties of the defendant are strong. I have to balance those versus the strong likelihood of conviction.”

This came after Smith argued that his client had lived in the same town for 46 years and worked for the local public works department for a decade.

The judge continued bail conditions that include passport surrender, no possession of firearms or other weapons, no contact with the victim’s family, and not leaving the state while the case is active.

She added a new condition, however: Should Clackner make bail, he will have to wear a monitoring bracelet, although he may go to work.

STORY / PHOTOS: CLIFFVIEW PILOT Courthouse Reporter Mary K. Miraglia

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