Ocean County Man Pleads Guilty in Death of Cop

An Ocean County man pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge of vehicular homicide involving the 2014 death of an off-duty police officer from Somerset County.

Jason Wolek, 39, of Jackson Township, entered a guilty plea on Monday, June 1, to second-degree vehicular homicide after a June 7, 2014 motor vehicle accident, which resulted in the death of off-duty Watchung Police Officer Christopher L. Hoffman, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

In the June 2014 accident, at approximately 5:55 p.m. Wolek, driving a Ford pickup truck, made a left turn in front of Hoffman’s motorcycle on East Veterans Highway in Jackson Township causing the police officer’s death, authorities said. The accident took place in clear, dry, daylight conditions.

Authorities discovered Wolek was operating his vehicle under the influence of heroin and with a suspended license at the time of the accident.

Wolek has been incarcerated since his arrest on June 7, 2014. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 27.

(Photo courtesy of Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office)