Tesla sued over fatal Model S Autopilot crash in New Jersey
A wrongful death lawsuit was filed against Tesla in June 2025 alleging that a 2024 Model S with Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features crashed in New Jersey in September 2024, killing three people. The plaintiffs claim the system's defective design caused the vehicle to leave its lane and fail to apply emergency braking, and that Tesla misled drivers about the technology's autonomous capabilities.
What happened
On September 14, 2024, a 2024 Tesla Model S equipped with Autopilot and Full Self-Driving features crashed on the Garden State Parkway in Woodbridge Township, New Jersey, killing David Dryerman, 54; his wife Michele, 54; and their daughter Brooke, 17. The family was returning from a music festival when the vehicle ran off the road, striking a sign, guardrail, and concrete bridge support.
Tesla was sued on June 23, 2025, in federal court in Camden, New Jersey by the estates of the three deceased and Max Dryerman, the surviving older brother. The complaint alleged the car's defective design caused it to stray from its lane and fail to apply emergency braking.
Reported impact
Three people died in the crash.
Index analysis
The complaint alleged that Tesla misled drivers about the technology's capabilities, citing Elon Musk's 2016 statement that Autopilot was 'probably better' than human drivers, leading many Tesla owners to trust the system as capable of safe, fully autonomous self-driving.
The complaint stated that thousands of Tesla drivers have relied on the ADAS technology as though it were capable of safe, fully autonomous self-driving with minor software updates when in fact it is incapable of safely handling a variety of routine roadway scenarios without driver input.
Governance controls
Under pressure from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Tesla agreed in December 2023 to recall more than 2 million vehicles in the United States to add safeguards to its Autopilot advanced driver-assistance systems.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.