OCEAN COUNTY, NJ—John Marrone, 68, of Seaside Park, has been charged in connection with a fatal motor vehicle accident that occurred on July 21 in Toms River Township. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer stated that Marrone faces charges of causing death or injury while driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license and knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death.
The incident took place around 2:50 p.m. on July 21, when Toms River Township Police responded to reports of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle at the intersection of Route 166 and Old Freehold Road. The pedestrian, identified as Gonzalo Jimenez-Hernandez, 48, of Toms River, was fatally injured and later pronounced dead at Community Medical Center.
Investigations led by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, along with the Toms River Township Police and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, revealed that a black Ford F-150 was involved.
The vehicle, registered to Marrone, was found abandoned in a nearby apartment complex. Marrone was apprehended on foot close to the location of the truck and was taken into custody without incident.
Marrone was transported to Community Medical Center for a court-authorized blood draw, the results of which are pending. He is currently held at the Ocean County Jail awaiting a detention hearing.