Suspect In Hazlet Homicide Stole Taxi, Ran Victim Over: Affidavit

HAZLET, NJ — The suspect charged in the fatal shooting of a taxi driver at a Hazlet motel pulled the driver out of his taxi, got in and ran the driver over after the shooting occurred, according to court documents.

Gaetano S. Scannavino, 25, was arrested on Sept. 19 in the killing of taxi driver Anthony Hill, 42, of Eatontown, who was found shot to death in the parking lot of the Holly Hill Motel on Sept. 14.

Scannavino is charged with murder, carjacking, and two weapons offenses and is being held in Brooklyn, New York, where he was arrested, pending an extradition hearing.

Police found Hill's taxi in Brooklyn with the gas cap removed and paper with burn markings that indicated someone tried to set the vehicle on fire. They also found bullet holes in the driver's seat headrest and in the windshield, according to the probable cause affidavit filed in the case.

Before police found Scannavino, he and a woman called for a taxi to the Holly Hill Motel on Sept. 14.

Surveillance footage from the motel revealed that the shooting occurred at 5:12 a.m. in the motel parking lot, the affidavit said.

In the surveillance footage, Hill’s cab can be seen pulling into the motel parking lot with a puff of smoke coming from the vehicle, according to the document. From there, the video shows Hill’s cab slowly rolling before hitting a dumpster and coming to a stop.

Once the cab stops, the woman can be seen leaving the back passenger’s side of the cab and running from the area. Scannavino is then seen getting out of the back driver’s side, opening the driver’s door, and pulling Hill from the cab.

Once Hill is outside the cab, the footage shows Scannavino entering the driver’s seat and fleeing from the parking lot, running Hill over in the process, the affidavit said.

Before arriving at the motel, information from Hill’s cab company confirmed that Hill picked up a fare in Sayreville and stopped at an address on Third Street in Keyport.

According to the affidavit, Keyport police were dispatched to the Third Street address at 1 a.m. the same day after receiving a report of a man and woman arguing, and the man pointing a firearm at the woman.

Once police arrived at the scene, the man and woman were identified as Scannavino and the woman. Both admitted to being in an argument, according to the affidavit, but denied that anything physical occurred.

A search of Scannavino found a 9mm hollow point bullet, the document said, though Scannavino and the woman said they were okay staying together and would be getting a cab to a hotel.

Information from Hill’s cab company confirmed that the woman called for a taxi to Sayreville following this interaction with police. The woman later confirmed that she and Scannavino called for a second taxi to the motel from there.

A second person spoke with police and said that they were with Scannavino and the woman earlier that night.

According to the document, the person said Scannavino and the woman left the Third Street residence after police came to speak with them. Later that night, the person said Scannavino re-entered the property before getting into a dark sedan, matching the time that Hill’s cab stopped on Third Street.

The person also confirmed that they previously saw Scannavino in possession of a black handgun, the affidavit said.

Once law enforcement found the woman, she confirmed being with Scannavino before and during the killing, the affidavit said.

According to the document, the woman was in the back passenger side seat when she heard three gunshots as the cab pulled into the motel. Once the vehicle stopped, the document said she left the taxi and fled the area.

Related:

• Hazlet Homicide Under Investigation: Prosecutor
• Taxi Driver Found Shot Dead Near Hazlet Motel Dumpster
• Taxi Driver Slain In Hazlet 'Touched The Lives Of Many'
• Arrest Made In Hazlet Taxi Driver Slaying