SOUTH BRUNSWICK – A man under house arrest in Florida, who is awaiting trial for vehicular homicide, has been charged by the South Brunswick Police Department (SBPD) with witness tampering and filing two false police reports.
Police believe Ajinkya Kelkar, 21 of Boca Raton, Florida, made the false reports to obstruct and impede his upcoming New Jersey court proceedings, according to information provided by South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka.
The most recent investigation began around 12:20 p.m. on Feb. 12 when an anonymous caller contacted police headquarters to allege police misconduct. The caller reportedly told police that officers had been sent to a call on Feb. 11 about a party off of Davidson’s Mill Road. The caller said one of the responding officers had covered up the party and failed to take action, according to reports.
An investigation by Lt. James Kinard, head of the South Brunswick Police Department Professional Standards Bureau, found that there was no incident on that night, according to information provided by the SBPD. The investigation found that on Feb. 11, an anonymous caller had contacted police to report a party off Davidson’s Mill Road, but when officers arrived there were no signs of any event, police said.
The investigation traced the calls back to Kelkar in Florida.
Police believe Kelkar made the false reports as a result of his May arrest in South Brunswick so that the officers involved with his May arrest would not testify in the upcoming court proceedings, according to the statement.
“People who lie and make up false allegations against police officers will be charged when we can prove it. In this case it is clear that Mr. Kelkar called in a false police report which generated officers going to a false call. He then called in a false allegation of police misconduct, which created an investigation into actions that never took place. He did all this in an attempt to delay the justice system and his day in court,” Hayducka said. “We take all complaints seriously and investigate them to the fullest extent. In this case, it resulted in criminal charges.”
Kelkar, a former South Brunswick resident, was charged in May 2016 with causing more than $10,000 in damage in the township.
In Florida, he is awaiting court proceedings for a July 2016 crash. He faces DUI manslaughter, leaving the scene of a crash involving death, vehicular homicide, reckless driving causing serious bodily injuries to another and DUI causing injury to person or property.
