NJ Man Pleads Guilty To 2020 Hit-And-Run, Cop Assault: Prosecutor

LITTLE EGG HARBOR, NJ - A Little Egg Harbor man pleaded guilty on Monday to striking a biker and then driving away while under the influence in Long Beach in April 2020, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

John Madden, 43, also pleaded guilty to an unrelated charge of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer in connection with an incident that occurred in Little Egg Harbor on April 4, 2020, the prosecutor’s office said.

Madden is set to be sentenced on Sept. 30, 2022, facing a possible three years in state prison related to the hit-and-run charge, as well as 18 months in state prison related to the police officer assault charge.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

On April 8, 2020, Long Beach Township police went to Long Beach Boulevard for a report of a seriously injured biker. The cyclist, identified later as Daniel Bogacz, was airlifted to the hospital where he was listed in critical condition and later released.

Bogacz, 63, of Beach Haven, had ridden his bike northbound on Long Beach Boulevard when a 2020 Jeep Liberty — traveling the same direction — struck him. After the collision, Madden made a U-turn and drove past the victim, the OCPO said.

Madden was arrested at his Little Egg Harbor home later that day. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail and later released, the OCPO said. Madden’s blood test results revealed a BAC level of .245 percent, or over three times the legal limit, the prosecutor’s office added.

Madden was arrested in a separate shoplifting incident on April 4 at a convenience store on Mathis Town Road in which an off-duty New Jersey State Park police officer attempted to restrain Madden until Little Egg Harbor police could arrive. However, Madden pushed the officer in an attempt to get away, resulting in the assault charge.