Jail Time For Mount Laurel Man Who Admitted To DWI In Son's Death

A South Jersey man has been sentenced to seven years in state prison after admitting he was drunk when he caused the death of his 4-year-old boy and injured the boy's brother in a car crash earlier this year, authorities said.

Ossie Thomas, 27, of Mount Laurel, previously pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree vehicular homicide, one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and one count of driving while intoxicated.

His sentence will begin on Jan. 3, and he must serve 85 percent of his term before becoming eligible for parole, according to Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina.

The results of toxicology tests performed on blood drawn from Thomas after the crash revealed he had marijuana in his system and a blood alcohol content of .125 percent. Thomas did not dispute the results of the report, Coffina said.

The accident happened at about 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 8, when Thomas lost control of his car on Rancocas Road in Willingboro and crashed into a tree, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office.

Police said Thomas was speeding when he turned onto Primrose Lane and lost control of his car. His twin boys were in the car with him at the time.

One of the twins was pronounced dead an hour later at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro, according to the prosecutor's office. The other child was taken to Cooper University Medical Center in Camden and treated for a traumatic brain injury. He has since been released.

Thomas was later arrested following an investigation that included eyewitness accounts and toxicology tests conducted on blood drawn from Thomas following the accident.