Congressman Says Deadly Crash at Unsanctioned Car Show Is Probably the Democrats' Fault

Screenshot: NBC Philadelphia

There was a deadly crash on Saturday in Wildwood, New Jersey, during an unsanctioned car meet-up known as H2Oi, the so-called “most ticketed car show in America.” A driver was subsequently arrested and charged with multiple crimes in connection with the incident, suggesting that the wheels of the criminal justice system are turning just fine, though one congressman, who is a Republican, also took the opportunity this week to release a statement placing blame on the real problem, which is the Democrats.

The congressman, whose name is “Jefferson Van Drew,” released the following statement on Sunday, which I didn’t see until this morning, when our South Jersey correspondent, Tom McParland, flagged it. Also, I was not aware until today that this congressman exists. Also, it was Sunday, and I have a life. Anyway, here is Van Drew’s statement in full:

“I want to thank the police officers, first responders, EMT’s, and firefighters for assisting those harmed in this reckless incident. Across the country we are watching leaders implement weak-on-crime policies and continually disrespect our police and first responders. For years now, far-left Democrats have ridiculed our police and sought to strip police funding and to no surprise, crime has skyrocketed. When leaders diminish and demean our police officers, this translates to individuals believing this type of behavior is acceptable and will go unpunished. And now we are seeing it right here at home in South Jersey. President Biden and the Democrat majority in Congress must stop allowing career criminals to walk the streets, we must detain individuals for heinous crimes up until trial, and prosecutors must follow the rule of law when issuing sentences.

“It is far past time that our lawmakers make it known that those who commit crimes and threaten law-abiding Americans is absolutely unacceptable and that punishments will be severe. Our police officers need to be supported and funded to ensure that Americans are safe and protected. I will ensure this support is provided and make clear that these types of crimes have no room in South Jersey.

“My thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those who were killed.”

Now, if you’re wondering why this statement contains no specifics and only places blame on unnamed Democrats and Joe Biden, well, that’s just politics. For actual information on what went down, we’ll have to turn to “the media,” like NJ.com, which reported on Friday that local officials, in fact, thought they had a handle on the situation leading up to it but in the end were overwhelmed. None of them mentioned the Democrats or Joe Biden.

“There wasn’t any way we could ever have foreseen that happening,” Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron said during a Cape May County Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday night.

“We felt that we had more than adequate enough coverage to protect our citizens until that happened because there’s no way we ever could have known.”

According to the state attorney general, at least 30 state troopers responded, as well as officers from surrounding towns, including Middle Township, through mutual aid agreements. The Cape May prosecutor’s office said much of the blame falls to the organizers of the unsanctioned event.

“Directing hundreds if not thousands of people driving high performance vehicles to an area without any planning, staging or permitting created the chaos that led to these deaths and injuries,” Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland said in a statement.

The prosecutor said the chaos from the rally affected Wildwood and the surrounding communities of Rio Grande and Seaville.

“Anyone thinking of engaging in organizing any type of similar pop-up event is forewarned that there will be a swift and appropriate law enforcement and legal response,” he said.

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Van Drew, I’ll note, was a Democrat for over a decade before changing parties, presumably because he realized that South Jersey, which is where his congressional district is, contains lots of Republicans. I’ll also note that unsanctioned car shows are bad, street racing is bad, and that there are really no winners here, though there is some sweaty-sounding guy yammering on about Democrats, though there are a lot of those kinds of guys in New Jersey. If only Joe Brandon had done something.