Driver Who Killed Pedestrian, Then Fled, Gets 3 Years In Prison

A Pennsylvania man convicted of hitting two pedestrians in Sussex County, New Jersey, leaving one dead and one injured, then fleeing the scene, has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Thomas Zoschak, 62, of Dingman’s Ferry was sentenced after entering into a plea agreement, Sussex County Prosecutor Francis Koch announced. Zoschak will spend three years in prison, lose his license for two years, and be ordered to pay restitution and court fines and fees.

The state was seeking a sentence of six years, Koch said.

Zoschack was indicted in September 2014 on five counts, including knowingly leaving the scene of an accident which resulted in serious bodily injury to Vivian Hill, and knowingly leaving the scene of an accident which resulted in the death of Cary Mattos, as well as hindering his own detention by leaving the scene and going to his home in Pennsylvania.

The incident occurred on Route 206 in Branchville on March 15, 2014. Mattos and Hill were walking with their husbands after leaving a St. Patrick’s Day dinner. According to nj.com, Zoschak was driving north when he struck the women, stopped briefly to get out of his car and assess the damage, and then fled.

Mattos was 44 and Hill was 55 at the time of the crash, the report said.