No Jail For Point Pleasant Woman In Hit-Run, Left Victim For Dead

POINT PLEASANT BORO – A Point Pleasant woman was sentenced Friday to three years probation after she was convicted in a hit-and-run crash, one that left the victim for "dead," prosecutors and the family said.

Emma Mae Gnolfo, then 14, was struck while riding her bike in August 2018, and then "carried" by the car that hit her for a "distance," police said.

Brittany Keifer, 27, of Point Pleasant was sentenced after pleading guilty in December to probation and 50 hours of community service for leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in serious bodily injury.

Keifer also lost her driving privileges for one year and will have to pay a $2,500 fine.

The state argued for Keifer to serve 364 days in the Ocean County jail as a condition of probation.

Keifer pleaded guilty to both charges before Judge Therese Cunningham on Dec. 2, 2019. Keifer’s co-defendant, Kyle Ramos, 29, of Seaside Heights, previously entered a guilty plea to hindering apprehension or prosecution, and will be sentenced at a later date.

In August 2018, Keifer turned herself in at police headquarters accompanied by an attorney after she drove home and her car was hidden under a tarp, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

After Keifer fled the scene, she contacted Ramos to pick her up at a location several blocks away in Point Pleasant Boro, the OCPO said. Ramos assisted Keifer in hiding the vehicle and attempted to have the vehicle repaired in an effort to hinder the investigation, according the OCPO.

Emma Mae, a talented and popular cheerleader, was in outpatient care after she was hospitalized following the crash. She was set to begin her freshman year at Point Pleasant Boro High School when the crash happened.

The community, meanwhile, did all they could to keep her spirits up.

Emma Mae and Stephanie Gnolfo were presented with a $15,153 check by the Point Pleasant Chamber of Commerce following Point Pleasant Boro Give Back Day on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2018.

Local businesses asked for donations for Emma, a cheerleader who has performed publicly in various exhibitions.

"She's just an incredible young woman," said her friend, Kristen Cutrona, who had put together a GoFundMe page to help support her recovery. "Smart, talented and an absolute sweetheart."

Read more: Arrest In Hit-And-Run That Critically Hurt Point Pleasant Girl

The incident happened at approximately 10:31 p.m. on Aug. 9, 2018 when the Point Pleasant Boro Police Department responded to the area of Route 88 and Sunset Avenue on a report of a hit-and-run accident, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

The preliminary investigation found that a black sedan traveling eastbound on Route 88 struck the 14-year-old bicyclist as she attempted to cross Route 88, according to the OCPO.

The eastbound vehicle struck Emma Mae as she traveled in a north-to-southbound direction, approximately 150 feet east of the Route 88 and Sunset Avenue intersection, according to the OCPO.

The bicyclist was struck by the front passenger portion of the vehicle, which caused her to roll onto the windshield and hood of the vehicle, the OCPO said.

The vehicle's driver continued driving after the impact, carrying the girl on the vehicle hood for a distance before she was thrown from of the vehicle, the OCPO said.

The black sedan then continued eastbound on Route 88 and fled the scene. The suspect's vehicle possibly sustained damage to the front-end and windshield.

Emma Mae was initially located in critical care on the pediatric ICU floor at Jersey Shore Medical Center.