Man Sentenced In Fatal Shooting Of NJ Taxi Driver

HAZLET, NJ — A man has been sentenced to time in prison for his role in a shooting that left a taxi driver dead in Hazlet in 2024, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago said.

Gaetano S. Scannavino, 26, with a last known address in Brooklyn, was sentenced to 30 years in state prison before Judge Henry P. Butehorn on Wednesday, Santiago said.

His sentence is subject to the provisions of New Jersey’s No Early Release Act (NERA), which mandates that 85% be served before the possibility of parole.

Scannavino was arrested and charged in connection with the shooting after the incident took place in September 2024.

At 7:18 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, Hazlet Police responded to the parking lot of 270 Route 36 for an EMS call.

Once officers arrived at the scene, authorities found a man dead on the ground near a dumpster with multiple gunshot wounds.

The man was later identified as Anthony Hill, 42, of Eatontown, prosecutors said.

Hill was a long-time cab driver for Yellow Car in Red Bank, and remembered by friends and family as a "devoted husband, father, and friend, known for his kind heart and dedication to his family."

• Read: Taxi Driver Slain In Hazlet 'Touched The Lives Of Many'

Following an investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Hazlet Township Police Department, Scannavino was identified as the suspect in the shooting and arrested in Brooklyn in September 2024 by members of the NYPD.

On Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, he pleaded guilty to a single charge of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, Santiago said.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutors Joseph Cummings, Director of the MCPO Narcotics and Criminal Enterprise Investigation Section, and Christopher Ammon of the Office’s Trial Division.

Scannavino was represented by Meghan J. Decker, Esq., with an office in Long Branch.

Previous Coverage

• Hazlet Homicide Under Investigation: Prosecutor
• Taxi Driver Found Shot Dead Near Hazlet Motel Dumpster
• Arrest Made In Hazlet Taxi Driver Slaying
• Suspect In Hazlet Homicide Stole Taxi, Ran Victim Over: Affidavit
• Taxi Driver Slain In Hazlet 'Touched The Lives Of Many'
• Red Bank Community Rallies Support For Family Of Slain Taxi Driver
• Man Admits Shooting Taxi Driver To Death In Hazlet