South River Man Pleads Guilty in RU Student's Death

A South River man has admitting to driving recklessly when he struck and killed a 21-year-old Rutgers University student on her bicycle in 2010.

Roger Hode, 43, has pleaded guilty to a count of death by auto, and is slated to be sentenced on April 29 in New Brunswick, according to a press release from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office. 

Hode reportedly struck and killed Rutgers University student Chelsea Traynor, 21, of Concord, Calif. while she was riding her bicycle in New Brunswick.

At 11:08 a.m. Dec. 9, Traynor was riding her bicycle across Route 18 at the intersection of George Street when she was hit by a Ford pickup truck being driven north on Route 18 by Hode, according to the release.

He was "impaired" at the time, according to the release.

The guilty plea was entered through an agreement with Middlesex County Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Christopher L.C. Kuberiet. The terms of the agreement include a jail sentence of up to four years in state prison, with Hode required to serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole, according to the release.

He also faces three years of probation upon his release.