Beachwood Man Sentenced To Prison In Fatal High Speed Crash Where He Was Drunk, High

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Beachwood man has been sentenced to prison in a 2023 crash that killed an Burlington County woman when he was drunk and speeding, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

John D. Zinkoski, 43, was sentenced to five years in prison for vehicular homicide in the 2023 crash in Plumsted Township that killed Judi Smith, 59, of Browns Mills, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

The sentence from Superior Court Judge David M. Fritch is subject to the No Early Release Act, meaning Zinkoski must serve 85 percent of the sentence before he is eligible for parole consideration, authorities said. Fritch also suspended Zinkoski's license for seven months, authorities said.

Zinkoski pleaded guilty before Fritch on April 14 to vehicular homicide and driving while intoxicated. Authorities have said his blood alcohol concentration was above .08 percent and that he had cocaine and benzodiazepine in his blood at the time of the crash.

The crash happened about 5:50 p.m. on May 12, 2023 in the area of Pinehurst Road and Long Swamp Road in Plumsted, authorities have said. Smith, who was driving a Volvo XC6, was trying to turn right onto Pinehurst Road when her car was hit by a Nissan Frontier driven by Zinkoski, who was driving south on Pinehurst Road.

Authorities have said investigators found Zinkoski was driving 86 mph at the time of the crash. Smith was taken to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, where she died of significant injuries she suffered in the crash.

Zinkoski was flown to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he was treated for his injuries and released. He was charged Aug. 8, 2023, and turned himself in to authorities on Aug. 22, 2023, then released pending court action under New Jersey Bail Reform rules.