An 18-year-old driver is facing further criminal charges in a hit-and-run accident that killed a lady and injured her husband over Memorial Day weekend.
According to a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Abel Mathukutty of Lake Hiawatha in Morris County was charged on Wednesday with second-degree vehicular homicide and fourth-degree assault by car. He was initially charged last month with second-degree leaving the site of an accident resulting in death and third-degree leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash resulting in serious bodily injury.
Police responded to a crash on Route 37 in Toms River around 7:25 p.m. on May 24th. Officers on the scene located an automobile that had collided with a utility pole.
Deborah Barone, 59, of Toms River, was transported to Community Medical Centre and pronounced deceased, authorities said. The passenger, her husband Michael Barone, 64, was treated for injuries at the same hospital before being released, according to officials.
Investigators discovered that another motorist struck Barone’s sedan on the driver’s side and fled the scene. A description of the suspect’s vehicle was shared with neighbouring departments, and it was discovered by Seaside Park Police about 8 p.m., prosecutors said.
The car was heavily damaged on the passenger side, and the airbags had deployed, according to officials. Mathukutty was nabbed after a car stop.
Mathukutty was driving at 76 mph in a 50 mph zone, according to investigators. This led to the more serious allegations on Wednesday.
He was served with the charges in Toms River Township Police Headquarters, where he had been detained since his arrest last month.
Reference: 18-year-old driver faces more charges in Memorial Day Weekend fatal hit-and-run