Prosecutor to decide on charges against Kixx player

The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office will determine what charges will be filed against a Philadelphia Kixx soccer player who was involved in an alcohol-related highway fatality, the New Jersey State Police said last night.

Matthew J. Maher, 24, of Cape May Court House, N.J., was released from police custody Saturday, hours after a vehicle he was driving east on the Atlantic City Expressway in Hamilton Township rear-ended another vehicle about 2:50 a.m., police said.

A police official said that Maher had been drinking and that "alcohol was a factor in the accident."

As of last night, authorities had not been able to identify the other driver in the accident, who was killed when his vehicle struck the guardrail on the right shoulder of the roadway and rolled over. The other driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

Maher, a four-year starter for the Temple University soccer team, had not played for the Kixx since tearing a knee ligament on March 1, team spokesman David Deal said.

Asked if the team would take disciplinary action against Maher, Deal said, "We're still gathering information right now. . . . We're going to let the legal process pan out before we comment."

Maher, who earned a business degree from Temple with a concentration in legal studies, joined the Kixx in December from the New Jersey Ironmen. A defender, he played in "four or five games" with the Kixx before his injury, Deal said.

Maher's older brother, Anthony, also is a member of the team, which plays in the National Indoor Soccer League.