A Seaside Park woman convicted in the drunken driving death of Shady Rest Restaurant owner Robert “Bob” Popovics was sentenced to the minimum five-year prison term allowed under New Jersey law.
A Seaside Park woman who admitted to causing the death of longtime Shady Rest Restaurant owner Robert “Bob” Popovics while driving intoxicated has been sentenced to the minimum prison term permitted for second-degree vehicular homicide under New Jersey law.
Ocean County First Assistant Prosecutor Michael T. Nolan Jr. announced that Genell McInaw, 51, was sentenced Wednesday by Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer to five years in New Jersey State Prison after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide. Under the No Early Release Act (NERA), she must serve 85% of her sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
Prosecutors said driver was more than twice the legal limit
The case stems from the night of September 23, 2024, when Seaside Heights police responded to the intersection of Dupont Avenue and the Boulevard after reports of a man lying in the roadway.
Investigators determined that Robert Popovics, 75, of Seaside Park, had been struck by a dark-colored sedan traveling south on the Boulevard. Authorities said the driver left the scene.
A joint investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Seaside Heights Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit identified McInaw as the driver.
Authorities obtained a court-authorized blood draw after her arrest. Prosecutors said laboratory testing showed McInaw’s blood alcohol concentration was .187, while a state-retained forensic expert estimated her blood alcohol concentration was approximately .21 at the time of the crash—well above New Jersey’s legal limit of .08.
Charges upgraded after victim died
Popovics remained hospitalized for weeks before dying from his injuries on November 1, 2024, at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
Following his death, prosecutors upgraded the charges to vehicular homicide, strict liability vehicular homicide, and knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash resulting in death.
McInaw later pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide before Judge Palmer on March 16, 2026.
Popovics was longtime Shady Rest owner
Popovics was well known throughout Ocean County as the longtime owner of The Shady Rest Restaurant in Bayville, a family-owned establishment he operated for decades. A Vietnam veteran and internationally respected fly fisherman, he was remembered by many in the Jersey Shore community following his death.
First Assistant Prosecutor Nolan credited Senior Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Burke for handling the case and commended the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Seaside Heights Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit for their work during the investigation.
McInaw was represented by criminal defense attorney Terrance Turnbach, a former Toms River councilman, and ultimately received the minimum five-year sentence permitted for a standard second-degree vehicular homicide conviction.
Key Points
- Genell McInaw was sentenced to the minimum five years in state prison for the drunken driving death of Shady Rest Restaurant owner Robert “Bob” Popovics.
- Prosecutors said her blood alcohol concentration was measured at .187, with an expert estimating it was about .21 at the time of the crash.
- Under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, McInaw must serve at least 85% of her sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
