MOUNT HOLLY – Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced that the impaired driver of a stolen vehicle who crashed into the back of a tractor-trailer last year, killing his 15-year-old passenger, was sentenced today to 14 years in New Jersey state prison.
The Hon. Terrence R. Cook, P.J.Cr., handed down the term in Superior Court to Cinnaminson resident Isaiah Buchanan, 19, in accordance with an agreement between the defendant and the Prosecutor’s Office. Buchanan pled guilty in October to Aggravated Manslaughter (First Degree).
The investigation revealed that on November 15, 2017, Buchanan was driving a stolen BMW sedan along Route 130 south in Cinnaminson when the collision occurred near the intersection with Riverton Road. Kassidy Bush, a sophomore at Palmyra High School who was Buchanan’s passenger, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation further revealed that the vehicle had previously been reported as stolen out of Cinnaminson. Cinnaminson police had attempted to execute a traffic stop on the vehicle prior to the collision, but Buchanan accelerated instead of pulling over.
“There are no words available, nor a fitting resolution to this case, that can alleviate the immensity of the heartbreak Kassidy’s loss has so obviously caused for her parents, brother and friends,” Prosecutor Coffina said. “We hope that Kassidy’s family can experience some comfort and healing now that this case has concluded and a substantial sentence has been imposed upon the person responsible for her tragic and senseless death.”
Toxicology tests conducted on blood drawn from Buchanan indicated he had been using cocaine, marijuana and Xanax prior to the collision. Buchanan was a juvenile at the time, and the Prosecutor’s Office successfully argued that he be waived up from juvenile court and tried as an adult.
Buchanan was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Courtney J. O’Brien, supervisor of the BCPO Family Unit. The investigation was conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office, with assistance from the Evesham Township Police Department. The lead investigator was BCPO Detective Melvin Rogers.