Ocean Gate Man Charged With Assault By Auto & Drug Offenses In Lacey Township Motor Vehicle Crash

Monday, January 26, 2026, 7:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ.- On Thursday, following an investigation, a 38-year-old Ocean Gate, New Jersey, man was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with a motor vehicle crash that occurred that morning in the Township.

     According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, on Thursday, January 22, 2026, Michael O’Hara, Jr., 38, of Ocean Gate, New Jersey, was formally charged with one count of third-degree Assault by Auto; Possession of Gabapentin Without a Valid Prescription; and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

     The charges stem from an investigation that began on Thursday, January 22, 2026, when, just shortly before 8:00 a.m., members of the Lacey Township Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting a motor vehicle crash in the area of South Street and Warren Avenue in the Township.

     Upon arrival, Responding Police Officers located and learned that an Acura TL, being operated by O’Hara, was traveling Eastbound on South Street when it crossed over the double yellow centerline and struck a Jeep Grand Cherokee that was traveling Westbound on South Street. The driver of the Jeep was transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River, New Jersey, where they were treated for minor injuries and released.

     During the initial investigation, Responding Police Officers noticed that O’Hara appeared to be intoxicated at the scene of the crash. Based on the observations of the Police Officers, O’Hara was administered a Field Sobriety Test, which he was unable to pass. O’Hara was then taken into custody and charged with Driving Under the Influence. A subsequent search of O’Hara’s Acura TL uncovered a quantity of methadone and gabapentin pills, for which O’Hara could not provide a valid prescription.

     O’Hara was then transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey, where O’Hara was administered a court-authorized blood draw, the results of which are still pending. Following a medical evaluation, O’Hara was formally charged by Investigators of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and the Lacey Township Police Department and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he was detained on the charges pending future court proceedings in Ocean County Superior Court in Toms River, New Jersey.

“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”