Toms River woman found guilty of two counts of vehicular homicide
TOMS RIVER, NJ — A 30-year-old woman has been convicted on two counts of vehicular homicide after a jury found she caused a 2022 Manchester Township crash that killed two men, prosecutors announced Thursday.
After a nearly five-week trial before Judge Dina M. Vicari, jurors concluded that Danielle Bowker recklessly operated her 2018 Honda Civic when she veered out of her lane on Route 571 on March 29, 2022. The crash left two Toms River men dead: 48-year-old Michael Sadis and 58-year-old Paul Lamberti.
Bowker faces up to five years in New Jersey State Prison for each count when she is sentenced on December 12.
Investigators determined Bowker failed to maintain her lane while navigating a curve, colliding head-on with a New Jersey Department of Transportation Ford F-550 pickup truck driven by Eduardo Rivera, 30, of Hamilton Township. Rivera’s passenger, 26-year-old Daniel Septor of Upper Freehold, was also in the vehicle.
The impact forced Rivera’s truck into a Toyota Camry driven by Sadis, pushing the car off the road into an embankment. The truck then struck a Toyota Corolla driven by Lamberti. Sadis was pronounced dead at the scene, while Lamberti was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries. Rivera and Septor were treated for minor injuries.
Bowker was also hospitalized with minor injuries and later released.
She was originally charged in June 2022 with multiple counts, including vehicular homicide, strict liability vehicular homicide, and assault by auto. She surrendered to police with her attorney, was jailed, and later released under New Jersey’s bail reform laws.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said the guilty verdict sends a clear message about accountability on the road. “Reckless driving is not a mistake – it is a dangerous choice that costs lives,” Billhimer said. “While nothing can bring their loved ones back, we hope today’s verdict provides some measure of justice and closure for the families of Michael Sadis and Paul Lamberti.”
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Key Points
- Danielle Bowker, 30, convicted of two counts of vehicular homicide in a 2022 Manchester Township crash
- The crash killed Toms River residents Michael Sadis, 48, and Paul Lamberti, 58
- Bowker faces up to five years in state prison on each count when sentenced in December
