Seaside Park Man, 68, Charged in Fatal Crash With Pedestrian

John Marrone (Photo: Ocean County Jail)

A Seaside Park man has been charged in connection with a motor vehicle accident that resulted in the death of a Toms River man on Sunday.

Prosecutors, in a statement released Monday, said John Marrone, 68, of Seaside Park, has been charged with causing death or injury while driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, and knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death.

The charges stem from an accident that occurred at approximately 2:50 p.m. Sunday. According to the statement, Toms River police were called to the area of Route 166 and Old Freehold Road for a report of a pedestrian having been struck by a motor vehicle. Responding officers determined that Gonzalo Jimenez-Hernandez, 48, of Toms River, stepped into the roadway and was struck by a motor vehicle being driven by Marrone. Jimenez-Hernandez was transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was pronounced deceased.

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The investigation by Toms River police, the prosecutor’s office and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office determined that a black Ford F-150 was traveling northbound on Route 166 when Jimenez-Hernandez stepped into the roadway and was struck by the pickup, which then “fled the scene,” the statement said.

The truck that struck the victim was later located unoccupied in a nearby apartment complex. Through investigation, detectives determined that the Ford F-150 was registered to Marrone. A short time later, officers located Marrone – on foot – in the vicinity of the truck, and he was taken into custody without incident. Marrone was then transported to Community Medical Center, where a draw of his blood was obtained pursuant to a court-authorized warrant. The results of the blood draw remain pending. Marrone was subsequently transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is presently lodged pending a detention hearing.