North Jersey Teen Charged In Deadly Hit-And-Run Crash

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A Morris County 18-year-old has been accused of fleeing the scene of a crash on Route 37 in Ocean County that left a woman dead and her passenger seriously injured, authorities said.

Abel Mathukutty, of Lake Hiawatha, is charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash causing death and serious bodily injury, according to a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

Records indicate that Mathukutty is a senior at Parsippany High School. A report from Parsippany Focus also noted that he was a member of the school’s wrestling team.

Around 7:25 p.m. on May 24, Toms River police responded to reports of a white Mercedes sedan that had crashed into a utility pole on eastbound Route 37. The woman driving and her passenger, whose identities were not released, suffered serious injuries and were rushed to Community Medical Center in Toms River.

The woman later died at the hospital, the prosecutor’s office said.

An investigation revealed that Mathukutty, driving an Infiniti sedan, struck the driver’s side of the Mercedes. The impact caused the Mercedes to crash into the utility pole, authorities said. Mathukutty then fled the scene, crossing the Thomas A. Mathis Bridge into Seaside Heights, the prosecutor’s office added.

Police then broadcast a description of the suspect vehicle to surrounding towns in an attempt to locate it.

At approximately 8 p.m., officers from the Seaside Park Police Department stopped a vehicle matching the suspect’s description. They reported that the vehicle had heavy damage on the passenger side and deployed airbags.

Investigators confirmed the vehicle was the same one involved in the crash, with Mathukutty behind the wheel. He was taken into custody at the scene without incident, officials said.

Mathukutty was then taken to the Ocean County Jail in Toms River, where he remains pending an upcoming detention hearing.