A late-night hit-and-run in Seaside Heights led to a vehicular homicide plea after the victim died weeks later from his injuries.
SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. – A Seaside Park woman has pleaded guilty in connection with a 2024 crash that left a 75-year-old man dead, according to Ocean County prosecutors. The defendant, Genell McInaw, 51, entered her plea Monday before Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer, admitting responsibility in a case that began as a hit-and-run investigation and later escalated following the victim’s death.
Key Points
- Seaside Park woman pleaded guilty Monday to vehicular homicide
- Crash occurred September 23, 2024, in Seaside Heights
- Victim Robert Popovics, 75, died weeks later from injuries
Prosecutors said the crash happened around 9:30 p.m. on September 23, 2024, near the intersection of Dupont Avenue and the Boulevard. Officers responding to the scene found Robert Popovics, 75, of Seaside Park, unconscious in the roadway with serious injuries. He was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment.
Hit-and-run investigation led to upgraded charges
Investigators determined that a dark-colored sedan traveling southbound struck Popovics and fled the scene. Authorities later identified McInaw as the driver and initially charged her with knowingly leaving the scene of a crash resulting in serious bodily injury.
Popovics died on November 1, 2024, prompting prosecutors to upgrade the charges to vehicular homicide, strict liability vehicular homicide, and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death.
Blood alcohol level cited by prosecutors
According to prosecutors, a blood sample obtained from McInaw showed a blood alcohol concentration of .187. A state expert estimated her blood alcohol level at the time of the crash was approximately .21, significantly above New Jersey’s legal limit of .08.
McInaw is scheduled to be sentenced on June 26, 2026. Prosecutors said they will seek a five-year prison sentence under the No Early Release Act, which would require her to serve most of the term before becoming eligible for parole.
