Pallone, Gottheimer endorse Deal candidate who pled guilty to homicide

The Congressmen offered support for a Deal mayoral candidate with a story he has long tried to bury.

Deal - Democratic Reps. Frank Pallone (CD-6) and Josh Gottheimer (CD-5) issued video endorsements of Isaac Chehebar for Deal Borough Commission and for the Mayoral spot. What Pallone, Gottheimer, and their staff most likely failed to do was thoroughly vet who they were endorsing.

In a sloppily-delivered video, Pallone stated that his support for “Ike” is rooted in shore replenishment and bringing federal and state dollars to Deal, as well as money for developing more houses of worship in the borough, citing it as “important for their security.”

Pallone cites Chehebar as a “proven community leader.” Gottheimer cited his work on New Jersey transit (without providing specifics) and called Chehebar his friend. Chehebar has also featured his work with former New York Governor and disgraced sexual harasser Andrew Cuomo.

In his picture with Cuomo, Chehebar says “safety and security has always been a core concern of [his].”

It doesn’t seem like it was in his twenties.

At 6:29 PM on a Friday in April 2001, the 21 year-old Chehebar mowed down a crowd of people when he lost control of his Porsche after making a sharp turn to avoid a taxi at Ocean Parkway and Avenue X in the Gravesend neighborhood of Brooklyn. He was not intoxicated.

The New York Post broke the story and the heart wrenching reaction of Alexander Shetman who screamed in Russian and English, “I lost my family in one second. I lost my family in one second.” Shetman’s 36-year-old wife, Rima, and his two daughters, Inna, 15, and Svetlana, 10, were enjoying an evening walk when Chehebar took them out.

The Post noted that Inna was killed instantly, and her sister died in the hospital. Rima was in critical condition at Lutheran Medical Center, and officials said her prognosis was poor. Rima broke both of her legs and suffered severe memory loss from the incident.

Chehebar agreed to a plea arrangement for criminally negligent homicide under which he would serve six months in jail. He was released after serving four months and was given a five-year ban on driving as part of the agreement. One year later, Chehbar was spotted behind the wheel again, this time in Deal.

Chehebar was spotted by a Post reporter at the helm of his pal’s Mercedes, noting that he was “speeding away from his family’s seaside home in Deal, N.J., to avoid being thrust back into the media spotlight.”

“I’m allowed to drive,” Chehebar told The Post. “I have a permit.” This was not true.

Not only was Chehebar’s hands coated in the blood of innocent pedestrians, family connections seemed to grease the hands of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes. The New York Times reported an $80,000 bribe in the form of campaign contributions to Hynes in 2005.

Now in 2024, Chehebar is running for Deal Commissioner and is vying for the Mayoral slot. Whether or not Pallone and Gottheimer’s endorsement counts for anything remains to be seen.

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