Former Jackson Township Man Indicted For Causing Death In Howell Car Crash

Tuesday, November 26, 2024, 6:15 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

HOWELL, NJ.- Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago reported a former Ocean County, New Jersey man has been indicted by a Monmouth County Grand Jury in connection with a March 2022 multi-vehicle crash that claimed the life of 50-year-old Neptune Township, New Jersey man.

     Late last month, the grand jury returned the indictment on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, charging Drew Peterson, 34, formerly of Jackson Township, now living in Jensen Beach, Florida, on one count of second-degree Vehicular Manslaughter. Peterson appeared in court on Monday, November 18, 2024, and was arraigned on the charge.

     According to the charging information unsealed in the indictment, on Friday, March 11, 2022, shortly after 12:00 a.m., members of the Howell Police Department responded to reports of a multi-vehicle collision.

     Upon arrival, Police Officers discovered and, during the initial investigation, determined that a 2004 Ford F150 pickup truck driven by Peterson was traveling westbound on Route 33 just west of the Colts Neck Road intersection when it crossed the centerline and collided with a 2004 Kia Rio, sideswiping the vehicle. The pickup truck continued westbound, again in the eastbound lanes, and crashed head-on into a 2010 Dodge Challenger driven by Robert C. Johnson, 50, of Neptune Township.

     The Ford pickup truck overturned, and Peterson was ejected from the truck. As a result of the second collision, Johnson sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The female driver of the Kia Rio was uninjured in the initial crash.

“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.”