An 18-year-old who was arrested in connection with a stolen SUV that crashed head-on into another car in Atlantic County, killing two people, will have several charges withdrawn after prosecutors determined he was not driving. Nayshaun Brown will remain jailed pending trial, however, after a judg e cited what prosecutors described as charges connected to previous stolen car cases and Brown’s juvenile record. Alice Stilwell and Robert Barr Jr., an Egg Harbor Township couple, were killed in the Aug. 22 crash in Mays Landing. Authorities said Brown was one of four people inside a stolen Mercedes SUV when it crashed. The driver, who was 16 at the time, was one of three juveniles in the vehicle, according to authorities. The Mercedes had been stolen hours earlier in Longport, authorities said. Police in three towns tried unsuccessfully to stop the SUV before the deadly crash. Chief Assistant Prosecutor Seth Levy argued that Brown remained responsible for his alleged role even though he wasn’t driving. “While not the driver in this case, the conspiracy that he engaged in with the other people led to the death of two innocent victims,” Levy said. Brown’s defense attorney, Alex Settle, told the court that Brown had been picked up by the others, was getting a ride home and was passed out when the SUV crashed. Settle argued that Brown did not know the vehicle was stolen. “He was picked up by these individuals. There’s no information here that he was there when this vehicle was stolen. He had no knowledge that it was stolen,” Settle said. Because Brown was not driving, prosecutors agreed to withdraw charges of aggravated assault, joyriding and eluding police. Brown will remain charged with using a juvenile to commit a criminal offense and receiving a stolen vehicle. The judge ordered Brown to remain behind bars pending trial, finding him to be a risk of danger to the community and a risk of obstruction. “This defendant can’t stop committing crimes,” Levy said. The judge also ordered Brown to provide prosecutors with the password to his cellphone. Prosecutors said Brown had refused to provide the password even after investigators obtained a warrant. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication. ...read more read less