Woman Charged With Vehicular Homicide In Fatal Hazlet Crash

FREEHOLD, NJ - A Monmouth County grand jury has indicted a Keansburg woman on a vehicular homicide charge for the 2016 accident in Hazlet that killed a local woman, Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.

Authorities say Alexandra Mansonet, 48, was on her cell phone when the accident happened at 8:20 a.m on Sept. 28, 2016 at the intersection of Laurel Avenue and Sixth Street. She was indicted on one charge of second-degree of vehicular homicide in connection with the accident that took the life of Yuwen Wang on Laurel Avenue in Hazlet, the prosecutor said.

Mansonet faces a maximum potential custodial sentence of up to 10 years in a New Jersey state prison, subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act (NERA), which requires her to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole.

The accident took place at 8:20 a.m. on Sept. 28, 2016 at the intersection of Laurel Avenue and Sixth Street. Robert Matich, 70, of Keansburg was heading southbound on Laurel Avenue approaching the intersection with Sixth Street when he saw pedestrians looking to cross Laurel Avenue at the marked crosswalk. Matich slowed his vehicle a significant distance prior to the intersection to allow the pedestrians to cross. As Matich brought his vehicle to a controlled stop, Mansonet’s vehicle collided with the rear of his vehicle, which was propelled forward, striking the victim.

Wang was transported by helicopter to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center’s Trauma Unit in New Brunswick, where she died on October 3, 2016.

"An investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team (SCART) and Hazlet Police Department determined Mansonet was using her cellular telephone while driving and made no observations of Matich’s vehicle," Gramiccioni said. "Accordingly, Mansonet never activated her brakes and collided with the vehicle, causing it to cast forward and strike the victim."

Mansonet remains free pending the resolution of charges. She is scheduled to be arraigned on Dec. 4, 2017 before Superior Court Presiding Criminal Judge David A. Bauman.

Photo: Patch file photo