New Jersey man faces prison after admitting to drunk UTV crash
Manchester Township, NJ — A Howell man has pleaded guilty to strict liability vehicular homicide and endangering the welfare of a child in connection to a deadly 2020 crash that left one man dead and three minors endangered after a utility terrain vehicle plunged into a lake at a former mine site.
Stephen McGuire, 48, entered the plea before Judge David M. Fritch on Monday, admitting his role in the December 12, 2020, incident at the Heritage Minerals Mine property, also known as ASARCO, located on Route 70 in the Whiting section of Manchester Township. At sentencing in January, the state will seek a three-year term in New Jersey State Prison.
Authorities said McGuire was operating a UTV carrying five people — including 62-year-old James Grover of Howell and three minors — when the vehicle drove into a lake on the property around 8:30 p.m. that night. While the minors escaped, the UTV became submerged in 25 feet of water with Grover trapped inside by a safety harness.
Search teams from multiple volunteer fire departments located the vehicle overturned in the lake. Despite life-saving efforts by emergency crews, Grover was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators later determined McGuire’s blood alcohol concentration was .127, significantly above the legal limit of .08 in New Jersey. He was arrested weeks later on January 5, 2021, without incident and released under New Jersey’s bail reform guidelines.
The guilty plea comes nearly five years after the crash and follows what prosecutors described as extensive discussions with the victim’s family.
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Key Points
- Stephen McGuire pleaded guilty to strict liability vehicular homicide and endangering the welfare of a child
- The 2020 crash in Manchester Township left one man dead and involved three minors
- McGuire’s BAC was .127 at the time; sentencing is set for January 9, with the state seeking three years