TOMS RIVER, NJ – John Zinkoski, 41, of Beachwood, was charged on Tuesday, with Vehicular Homicide and Strict Liability Vehicular Homicide.
This followed a motor vehicle crash in Plumsted Township on Monday, May 12, which resulted in the death of Judi Smith, 59, of Browns Mills.
On the day of the incident, around 5:50 p.m., Plumsted Township Police Department officers were dispatched to Pinehurst Road and Long Swamp Road due to a serious crash report. Investigation determined that Ms. Smith’s Volvo XC6 was hit by a Nissan Frontier driven by Zinkoski while she was trying to turn onto Pinehurst Road. The collision severely injured Ms. Smith, who later died at Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood. Zinkoski was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, treated for injuries, and then released.
Lab results indicated Zinkoski’s Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) exceeded the legal limit at the crash time. Additionally, traces of cocaine and benzodiazepine were detected in his bloodstream. Further inquiries by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit, along with Plumsted Township Police Department, found Zinkoski’s vehicle to have been speeding at 86 mph during the crash.
As of Tuesday, Zinkoski remains at large and is deemed a fugitive from justice. His information has been added to the National Crime Information Center database.