MANCHESTER TWP, NJ – A Manchester man has been charged with aggravated assault for causing an accident in November that sent a 44-year-old Toms River woman to the hospital in critical condition. That woman is still recovering from her injuries in the Jersey Shore Medical Center’s rehabilitation facility.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office announced that William Andujar, 49, of Whiting, has been charged with Aggravated Assault and Assault by Auto in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1c(2), relative to a motor vehicle crash which occurred in Berkeley Township during the evening hours of November 2, 2020. Additionally, Andujar was charged with the following motor vehicle offenses: Driving While Intoxicated, Reckless Driving, Careless Driving, Tailgating, Failure to Maintain Lane of Travel, Failure to Produce a Driver’s License and Failure to Produce a Valid Registration.
On November 2, 2020, at approximately 7:00 pm., Berkeley Township Police responded to a report of crash involving two motor vehicles in the area of West Pinewald Keswick Road. An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit and Berkeley Township Police Department revealed that Andujar, who was traveling westbound in a 2010 Honda CRV, crashed into a 2003 Hyundai Elantra operated by Susan Ewing, 44, of South Toms River, from behind. The impact forced both vehicles off the roadway into a wooded area. The victim, Ms. Ewing, sustained serious bodily injuries as a consequence of Andujar crashing into her vehicle. Ms. Ewing was flown to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune for treatment of those injuries. Ms. Ewing was subsequently discharged to a rehabilitation facility where she presently remains.
Andujar was likewise transported to Jersey Shore Medical Center following the crash, and a search warrant was obtained for a draw of his blood. Laboratory results from the blood draw – received by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office on November 23, 2020 – indicated that Andujar had a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .129 percent at the time his blood was drawn. In the State of New Jersey, an operator of a motor vehicle is presumed to be over the legal limit for purposes of alcohol consumption where his/her BAC is .08 or greater. The laboratory results also revealed a significant quantity of Methadone in Andujar’s system.
“On November 24, 2020, Andujar was arrested by Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit and South Toms River Police Department and charged with Assault by Auto. The additional charge of Aggravated Assault was filed today, December 8, 2020, as a result of further developments in the investigation. Andujar has been lodged in the Ocean County Jail since his arrest on November 24, 2020 and is pending a detention hearing,” the office said in a statement.