Charges Upgraded To Vehicular Homicide For Man Who Drove With Pedestrian in Windshield

A drunk driver who continued driving 1.5 miles with a pedestrian he hit stuck in his windshield is now facing vehicular homicide charges, a spokesperson for the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Marcos A. Ortega’s bail was increased from $150,000 to $250,000 with no ten percent option. He was also charged with leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in a fatality, spokesperson Al Della Fave said.

Ortega, 33, Little Egg Harbor, was initially arrested on charges of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle crash in Waretown and causing serious bodily jnjury to another while driving under the influence.

Kenneth Moeller, 61, died Monday night at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. He lost his left leg, had multiple severe injuries and was on life support since the Nov. 11 accident in Waretown, authorities have said.

The charges resulted from the 6:39 p.m. accident, after Ocean Township police received information that an erratic driver was traveling northbound on Route 9. Patrolman Kyle Flatt responded and observed a vehicle traveling north on Main Street, at approximately 6:44 pm, with what appeared to be a person lying on the hood of the vehicle, he said..

Flatt immediately stopped the car in the area of Dolphin Way. When he approached the car, Flatt observed a person, later identified as Kenneth Moeller, halfway through the vehicle’s windshield.

“Ortega continued operating the vehicle for approximately 1.5 miles before being located and stopped by Patrolman Flatt,“ Della Fave said.

The preliminary investigation by the Ocean Township Police Department Traffic Safety Unit and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office revealed that prior to the accident the driver was traveling northbound on Route 9 just north of South Main Street, when he allegedly crossed into the northbound shoulder where he struck the male victim.