An upstate New York grand jury found no basis to charge Nascar driver Tony Stewart for his role in an Aug. 9 fatal crash at the Canandaigua Motor Speedway, a prosecutor said.
The grand jury voted today not to indict the 43-year-old Stewart on charges of second-degree manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide in connection with the death of Kevin Ward Jr., 20, Ontario County District Attorney Michael Tantillo said during a televised press conference. Ward was killed during a race on a dirt track in the Finger Lakes region, about a 40- minute drive from Rochester.
Two dozen witnesses testified before the grand jury, including race car drivers, racetrack employees and volunteers, accident reconstruction experts, medical personnel and police officers, Tantillo said. Jurors also reviewed two enhanced videos of the crash, including one posted on YouTube shortly after the incident and a higher-quality video from the racetrack, he said.
“This has been the toughest and most emotional experience of my life, and it will stay with me forever,” Stewart said in a statement following the disclosure of the jury’s decision.
“I respect everything the district attorney and sheriff’s office did to thoroughly investigate this tragic accident,” he said. “While the process was long and emotionally difficult, it allowed for all the facts of the accident to be identified and known.”