PARSIPPANY TEEN FACES HOMICIDE CHARGE IN FATAL OCEAN COUNTY CRASH

A Parsippany teenager accused of fleeing the scene of a fatal crash in Ocean County has been indicted, prosecutors announced.

Abel Mathukutty, 18, of Lake Hiawatha in Parsippany-Troy Hills, was initially charged with leaving the scene of a crash that caused both death and serious injury. Prosecutors say he was speeding when the crash occurred, and in June, he was additionally charged with vehicular homicide and assault by auto—charges that could carry five to ten years in prison if convicted.

A Grand Jury in Ocean County handed down the indictment Thursday, ruling there was enough evidence for the case to move forward.

The Crash

The charges stem from a March 24 collision on Route 37 in Toms River. Police say Mathukutty’s Infiniti sedan slammed into a Mercedes on the driver’s side, forcing it into a utility pole. Inside were Deborah Barone, 59, and her husband, Michael Barone, 64, both of Toms River.

Both suffered major injuries. Deborah later died at Community Medical Center, while Michael was treated and released.

Investigators say Mathukutty kept driving, crossing the Thomas A. Mathis Bridge and leaving the scene.

Arrest

Later that night, Seaside Park police stopped a heavily damaged Infiniti sedan matching the suspect vehicle’s description. The car had deployed airbags and significant passenger-side damage. Authorities identified Mathukutty as the driver and arrested him without incident.

He was booked into the Ocean County Jail but later released under New Jersey’s bail reform laws.