NJ man gets 16 years for deadly Route 80 wrong-way crash

⚠️ Victor Peters gets 16 years for a fatal wrong-way crash on Rt. 80.

➡️ Destinn McKnight, 31, died when Peters' Mercedes hit his Ford Maverick.

🔴 Peters must serve more than 13 years before he can seek parole.

A Morris County man gets 16 years for a drunken wrong-way crash on Route 80 that killed a medical professional last year.

Morris County Superior Court Judge Ralph E. Amirata handed down the sentence to 46-year-old Victor Peters on Friday.

The former Parsippany-Troy Hills resident must serve more than 13 years before being eligible for parole.

In July, Peters was found guilty by a jury of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and second-degree vehicular homicide in the death of Destinn McKnight, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

Wrong-way Route 80 crash killed medical professional

In February 2025, State Police responded to the crash on Route 80 in Rockaway around 2:30 a.m.

A 2016 Mercedes Benz GLE had been driving against westbound traffic for some time before crashing into a 2024 Ford Maverick.

Troopers said once freed from his Mercedes Benz, Peters appeared to be drunk — with alcohol on his breath and a red solo cup, also reeking of alcohol, laying outside the SUV, according to an affidavit filed in the case.

McKnight, the Ford driver, was pronounced dead at the scene, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll said.

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