Berkeley township man pleads guilty in hit-and-run that injured teen bicyclist

TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A Berkeley Township man has pleaded guilty to causing serious bodily injury while driving without a license in connection with an April crash that seriously injured a 17-year-old bicyclist in Beachwood, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

Michael P. Gable, 56, entered the guilty plea Monday and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 29. Prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 364 days in the Ocean County Jail as a condition of probation.

The incident occurred on April 30, when police responded to the area of Mizzen Avenue and Locker Street for a reported crash involving a bicyclist. Investigators found that the teen victim was riding an electric bicycle northbound on Locker Street when he was struck by a vehicle traveling eastbound on Mizzen Avenue.

The driver failed to stop or contact authorities and continued driving. The victim sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he was treated and later released.

An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad and the Beachwood Police Department identified Gable as the driver. Authorities also determined he was unlicensed at the time of the crash. He was arrested without incident on the same day and has remained in custody since.

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