An 18-year-old man has been charged in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that occurred in Toms River on Saturday evening.
At approximately 7:25 p.m., officers from the Toms River Township Police Department responded to a report of a serious motor vehicle crash along the eastbound side of Route 37. Upon arrival, officers found a white Mercedes sedan that had struck a utility pole. The vehicle’s two occupants — a female driver and a male passenger — had sustained serious injuries.
Both individuals were transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where the female driver was pronounced deceased. The male passenger was later transferred to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he remains in critical condition.
An investigation determined that the Mercedes had been struck on the driver’s side by an Infiniti sedan, causing it to veer off the road and crash into the pole. The Infiniti then fled the scene, continuing eastbound over the Thomas A. Mathis Bridge.
Shortly after the crash, a description of the suspect vehicle was broadcast to area police departments. At around 8:00 p.m., officers with the Seaside Park Police Department located and stopped an Infiniti sedan matching the description. The vehicle had extensive damage to its passenger side and deployed airbags.
Further investigation confirmed the vehicle’s involvement in the crash and identified the driver as Abel Mathukutty. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he remains pending a detention hearing.
Mathukutty is charged with Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Crash Causing Death and Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Crash Causing Serious Bodily Injury.