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New video shows fatal officer crash
New video is shedding light on how first responders reacted to the crash scene resulting in the death of off-duty Milwaukee police officer James Nowak.
MILWAUKEE - New video is shedding light on how first responders reacted to the crash scene resulting in the death of off-duty Milwaukee police officer James Nowak.
Police said the 30-year-old Nowak collided with a semi that made a U-turn in front of him. Nowak died of injuries sustained in that crash days later.
The crash happened in Oak Creek – near Pennsylvania and College – on Dec. 3, 2023. The medical examiner said toxicology results placed Nowak’s BAC at .241 – just over three times the legal .08 limit in Wisconsin.
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James Nowak; Oak Creek crash near Pennsylvania and College
FOX6 News obtained documents from the Oak Creek Police Department detailing that night, including when officers started to connect the dots on Nowak’s identity.
One officer can be heard saying, "Can I see the background? That’s a Milwaukee cop."
Eventually, an officer recognized Nowak as the partner of officer Peter Jerving, who was shot and killed in the line of duty early last year. From there, more clues came together.
Bodycam footage
Nowak had just left a nearby bar before the crash.
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The truck driver, Florida resident Dotheline Toussaint, and her husband, were interviewed on the scene. Toussaint was cited for failing to obey a traffic signal and making an illegal U-turn.
Bodycam footage
Nowak served on the Milwaukee Police Department for more than a decade.