Parsippany Teen Charged in Fatal Hit and Run
Single vehicle collisions can be deadly, especially when they involve a car striking a stationary object at high speed. When a car strikes a utility pole by the side of the road, it is because something has gone terribly wrong to make the driver lose control of the car. In some cases, the driver was speeding, especially on a poorly lit road with sharp turns. Many single vehicle accidents involve alcohol or drugs, and sometimes they are simply the result of mistakes of inexperienced drivers. Not all accidents where a car strikes a pole or other stationary object are single vehicle collisions, though. Sometimes they are the result of another car striking the vehicle and propelling it into a pole, and in some cases, the driver strikes the pole only after swerving to avoid a collision with another car that made a sudden, illegal move. If you have been injured in an accident where your car struck a stationary object after another car hit you, contact a South Jersey auto accident lawyer.
Police Identified At Fault Driver’s Vehicle by Its Deployed Airbags
In May 2025, Abel Mathukatty of Lake Hiawatha in Morris County was driving an Infiniti at high speed. On Route 37, near the Aqua Blu restaurant, Mathukatty’s car sideswiped a Mercedes, but Mathukatty did not reduce his speed. Instead, he drove quickly over the bridge to Seaside Heights. The impact caused the Mercedes to crash into a utility pole. First responders transported the driver and passenger of the Mercedes, Deborah and Michael Barone of Toms River, to Community Medical Center. Deborah Barone later died of her injuries. She was 59 years old. Michael Barone, 64, survived.
Police in Seaside Park received word from neighboring police departments that they were looking for an Infiniti that had left the scene of a serious accident. They eventually identified the vehicle by its extensive passenger side damage and by the fact that its airbags were deployed.
Mathukatty was arrested and booked into jail, but he was released shortly thereafter, according to some news reports. Other news reports said that Mathukatty remained detained until a hearing to determine whether he would be released on bail. Mathukatty, 18, is facing criminal charges for hit and run resulting in death and hot and run resulting in serious bodily injury.
High Speed Collisions Are a Major Problem at the Jersey Shore
The accident that claimed the life of Deborah Barone is not the only fatal car accident on Route 37 in Toms River this year. In a striking similar incident, a teen driver caused a fatal accident at high speed near the Thomas Mathis Bridge. 17-year-old Carlos Mercedes was driving a BMW at more than 100 miles per hour, when he struck a Toyota Camry, killing two of its occupants and injuring the other two. The criminal penalties Martinez could face are even more severe than those potentially faced by Mathukatty, because there were additional aggravating factors.
Contact Monaco Law About Car Accidents
Contact Monaco Law PC in Marlton, New Jersey to discuss your car accident case. Joseph Monaco is a New Jersey personal injury lawyer serving Atlantic County, Burlington County, Cape May County, Camden County, Cumberland County, Gloucester County, Mercer County, Middlesex County, Ocean County, Salem County and all of New Jersey.
Sources:
patch.com/new-jersey/parsippany/parsippany-teen-indicted-following-fatal-hit-run-ocean-county
jerseyshoreonline.com/toms-river/teen-charged-in-fatal-hit-and-run-in-toms-river-crash/
