Driver In Bayonne Crash That Killed Jersey City Man Faces 5 Years

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A Bayonne man was sentenced to five years in state prison for the fatal crash that killed a Jersey City man in Bayonne.

James Nichols, 51, of Bayonne, was sentenced to five years in prison for second-degree leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death related to the death of John Hagans, 50, of Jersey City. The sentence includes a consecutive 2-year driver’s license suspension.

According to the Hudson Count Prosecutor's Office, on September 10, 2020, Nichols was speeding in Bayonne at a high rate of speed when he hit Hagans in the area of Avenue C and 25th Street and then left the scene. The Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit, with assistance from the Bayonne Police Department, investigated the case.