TRENTON — The State Police are investigating complaints that two troopers escorted a caravan of luxury sports cars at speeds in excess of 100 mph down the Garden State Parkway to Atlantic City last month. The occupants included former Giants running back and sports car enthusiast Brandon Jacobs, according to a source with knowledge of the trip.

In the complaints, obtained by The Star-Ledger, witnesses said that in the early afternoon March 30, they saw two State Police patrol cars with their emergency lights flashing driving in front of and behind the southbound caravan, which included dozens of Porsches, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and other vehicles, all with their license plates covered with tape.

One witness, Wayne Gantt, dubbed the escort "Death Race 2012."

"I had the great pleasure today of nearly being killed by, not one, but two, Lamborghinis traveling in excess of 110 mph in a (New Jersey State Police) escorted ‘caravan’ of approximately 30 exotic vehicles all traveling well over 100 mph," Gantt wrote in an e-mail complaint to the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which oversees the Parkway.

He added that many of the sports cars were weaving across all three lanes.

"The senior official (trooper) who authorized this ‘joyride,’ and the road troopers who participated in the escort, should be immediately fired for their total lack of consideration for the public’s safety," Gantt wrote. "The state is very lucky no one was killed today."

A spokesman for the State Police, Lt. Stephen Jones, confirmed that the matter is under investigation but declined to comment on the specifics of the caravan or whether it was authorized. But he said escorts are allowed only on rare occasions for events such as services for a fallen serviceman or other high-profile funerals, and they are requested through the chain of command and approved by top brass. Jones did not identify the troopers involved.

A source familiar with the outing told The Star-Ledger that Jacobs, who played seven seasons for the Giants before being released this year, was among those in the caravan that drove to Atlantic City. The source was not authorized to discuss the matter and requested anonymity.

Jacobs’ agent, Justin Schulman, when asked to confirm that the NFL player was part of the luxury car blitz, said: "Brandon was part of a group that went down to Atlantic City on March 30."

The Friday afternoon trip came two days after Jacobs, a two-time Super Bowl champion, agreed to terms of a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers. Schulman otherwise declined to comment on the purpose of the trip or who else was involved.

Jacobs, who is known within pro football circles for his collection of flashy sports cars, told Rides Magazine in October that he often cruises with the Driving Force Club. The elite New York City-based group is "for all car fanatics with a spice of racing and adrenalin rush in their hearts," according to its website.

Two videos posted to YouTube.com depicted a caravan of sports cars from the club returning from Atlantic City on March 31, and captions on the videos said the caravan included Jacobs.

Gantt's complaint and another, filed by John Kennedy of Madison, were sent to the Turnpike Authority on March 30 and April 1, respectively. A spokesman for the authority, Tom Feeney, said they were forwarded to State Police officials who indicated they would handle the situation. The complaints were obtained Friday by The Star-Ledger under the state's Open Public Records Act.

Gantt could not be reached for comment. But Kennedy, reached by telephone, told The Star-Ledger that he spoke with a State Police detective during the week and was told officials would be following up as part of their internal investigation. He said Friday that one older driver "almost wound up in the ditch because she panicked."

Kennedy wrote in his complaint that he and his wife took the day off from work to go to the resorts in Atlantic City, but were troubled when they encountered the caravan.

"When I was in the high speed lane passing a series of slower vehicles, I saw police flashers in my rear view mirror, moving at a high rate towards me," Kennedy wrote, "so I sped up, passed the cars and got into the slower lane in the nick of time."

He went on, "The car raced by me going (estimated) 100+ mph. Then I noticed there was a series of performance cars (Porsches, Ferraris, etc.) that were following the lead police car with their blinkers on and license plates taped off — speeding at the same high rate. I noticed that many cars were struggling to get out of their way safely."

Kennedy counted about 25 sports cars, he said in his complaint.

When he and his wife arrived in Atlantic City, they saw the driver of one of the cars parked along a side street removing the tape and then drive away, Kennedy said.

"It was a very strange and unsafe situation that I could not comprehend the need," he said.

"It was obvious that the authorities were abetting others to break the law."

In his complaint, Gantt referred to former Gov. Jon Corzine’s near-fatal crash on the Parkway in 2007. Corzine, who was not wearing a seat belt, was being driven by Trooper Robert Rasinski at 91 mph en route to a meeting at the governor’s mansion in Princeton. His sport utility vehicle struck another vehicle, then veered off the road and into a guardrail.

Gantt said he "was under the assumption that, after that, safeguards had been established to prevent the (New Jersey State Police) troopers from wantonly traveling at excessive speeds."

As for Jacobs, he told Rides Magazine that from among his collection, his preferred ride most days is his souped up Nissan GT-R, modified to give it more than 700 horsepower.

"I like the GT-R for during the day, but most of the time you want to have some highway in front of you to get some a’ight speeds—nothing crazy, but some a’ight speeds."

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