An 18-year-old charged in connection with a head-on crash that killed an Egg Harbor Township couple will remain behind bars following a detention hearing.
On Thursday, Judge Ralph Paolone ordered Nayshaun Brown to be held pending trial.
Brown and three juveniles are accused of being inside a stolen Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon that allegedly attempted to evade police before crashing head-on into another vehicle on Route 50 on Aug. 22.
The victims, Robert Barr Jr., 54, and Alice Stilwell, 67, both of Egg Harbor Township, were killed in the crash.
Initially, Brown and the three juveniles faced charges including aggravated assault, joyriding, eluding, receiving a stolen motor vehicle and employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime.
READ MORE | 3 juveniles, 1 adult charged in deadly crash involving stolen vehicle in Hamilton Township
Three juveniles, one adult charged in deadly crash involving stolen vehicle in Hamilton Township
During Thursday's hearing, defense attorney Alex Settle argued that Brown was not driving the SUV at the time of the crash.
"Mr. Brown was sleeping in the backseat of the vehicle. The vehicle was involved in an accident when he woke up," Settle said.
Prosecutors moved to dismiss the aggravated assault charges against Brown after new evidence identified a 16-year-old as the driver.
However, Judge Paolone ruled that prosecutors established probable cause to continue holding Brown on charges of first-degree employing a juvenile in the commission of a crime and second-degree receiving a stolen motor vehicle.
Investigators announced Thursday that the 16-year-old accused of driving now faces additional charges, including three counts of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and one count of second-degree leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death.
According to authorities, fingerprints recovered from the steering wheel and blood evidence obtained from the airbag matched the 16-year-old suspect.
Prosecutors argued that Brown's past charges should prevent him from being released.
"This defendant can't stop committing crimes. He was out on pretrial release. He committed more crimes, more of the same crimes. Certainly was not the driver in this case," the state said.
Brown is scheduled to appear before a judge again later this month.