Bridgewater Man, Retired Cop Gets 1 Year Jail Time In Fatal DWI Crash With Runner

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — A Bridgewater man and retired Mountainside Police Officer was sentenced Monday to less than one year in jail for fatally hitting a runner with his car while intoxicated in Raritan in September 2020.

Kevin D. Betyeman, 56, of Maple Street in Bridgewater Township, was sentenced to 364 days in jail and five years probation on the charges of third-degree strict liability vehicular homicide and two charges of third-degree hindering apprehension or prosecution, according to Somerset County's Courts.

Betyeman will also have his license suspended for one year upon release from custody.

The second degree charge of vehicular homicide was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Betyeman's blood-alcohol concentration was found to be above the legal limit of 0.08% BAC several hours after the collision. And the two counts of third-degree hindering apprehension are due to Betyeman denying separately to two police officers about having consumed any alcohol.

Betyeman's blood-alcohol concentration was not released.

The crash happened on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, at around 3:33 p.m., when Celeste Andresen, 60, of San Manuel, Ariz., was out for a run.

Andresen, originally from Raritan, was visiting family at the time of the incident.

Andresen stopped at a designated pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection of Woodmere Street in an attempt to cross over Old York Road, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Team.

A vehicle driving west on Old York Road and a vehicle coming south on Woodmere Street both reportedly stopped to allow Andresen to cross. When Andresen was about three-quarters of the way across the roadway she was hit a 2018 Chevy Silverado driven by Betyeman, Somerset County Prosecutor Michael Robertson said.

Andresen was crossing in a painted crosswalk and pedestrian crossing signs were present when she was hit.

Betyeman was previously charged by Raritan Police for driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, careless driving, and failure to yield to a pedestrian.

Most recently on Feb. 8, 2021, Beyteman was charged again for driving while intoxicated in Raritan where he was found parked in the middle of the Quick Chek parking lot and not in a parking space. Read More: Bridgewater Man, Retired Cop Charged Again With DUI In Raritan

Betyeman had previously served with the Mountainside Police Department for 25 years before retiring in July 2019. Read More: Bridgewater Man Charged In Fatal DWI Crash Is Ex-Cop: Officials

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