83 Year Old Howell Man Faces 5-10 Years for Fatal Hit & Run of Bicyclist

hit runA Howell Township man was arrested and charged Monday for the fatal hit and run of Charles McHugh, 58, of Spring Lake, after surrendering to police, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Abraham Chapnick, 83, of Ramtown Road, is charged with one count of second degree Knowingly Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Accident Resulting in Death and several motor vehicle summonses in connection with the fatal hit and run of McHugh around 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, 2014.

A joint investigation into this case was conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Howell Township Police Department which determined McHugh was riding his bicycle along Herbertsville Road in Howell Township, when he was struck from behind by a 1995 black Lexus LS 400 Sedan, owned and operated by Chapnick.

During the course of the investigation, authorities were able to identify Chapnick’s vehicle as being involved in the fatal hit and run, and seized the vehicle from his residence. Information was also developed during the investigation identifying Chapnick as the operator of the vehicle during the fatal hit and run.

Chapnick surrendered himself to the Howell Township Police Department on Monday, March 31, 2014, and posted bail in the amount of 150,000 with no 10 percent cash alternative, as set by the Honorable Francis J. Vernoia, J.S.C.

Anyone with additional information about this case is urged to call Detective Eric Kerecman, of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, at 1-800-533-7443 or Patrolman Matthew Cherney, of the Howell Police at 732-938-4111.

Despite these charges, every defendant is presumed innocent, unless and until found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, following a trial at which the defendant has all of the trial rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and State law.

If convicted of Knowingly Leaving the Scene of a Motor Vehicle Accident Resulting in Death, Chapnick faces a sentence of five to ten years in a state prison.

The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Thomas Huth, director of the Office’s Major Crimes Bureau. Chapnick is represented by Rudolph A. Palombi, Jr., Esq. of Hamilton (Mercer County). [TLS]

This content, and any other content on TLS, may not be republished or reproduced without prior permission from TLS. Copying or reproducing our content is both against the law and against Halacha. To inquire about using our content, including videos or photos, email us at [email protected].

Stay up to date with our news alerts by following us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

**Click here to join over 20,000 receiving our Whatsapp Status updates!**

**Click here to join the official TLS WhatsApp Community!**

Got a news tip? Email us at [email protected], Text 415-857-2667, or WhatsApp 609-661-8668.

2 COMMENTS

  1. The victim here is not Abraham; it is the bicyclist. If he killed that bicyclist snd left the scene he will suffer from his own doing. The bicyclist’s innocent wife and children lost their loved one. They are the ones who are suffering…come on!

Comments are closed.