Former Howell Man Indicted In Fatal Hit-And-Run

A former Howell Township man has been indicted on charges he knowingly drove away after hitting a bicyclist and killing him in Howell last year, Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced Friday.

Abraham Chapnick, 84, is charged with one count of second-degree knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death and third-degree hindering, in connection with the hit-and-run accident that killed Charles McHugh on March 12, 2014, the prosecutor said.

Chapnick, formerly of Ramtown Road, now lives in Pennsylvania.

A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and Howell Township Police Department determined McHugh, 58, was riding his bicycle along Herbertsville Road in Howell when he was struck from behind by a 1995 black Lexus LS 400 Sedan, owned and operated by Chapnick, Gramiccioni said.

Information was developed during the investigation identifying Chapnick as the operator of the vehicle during the fatal hit-and-run. Upon their arrival to the residence, law enforcement found newspaper taped to two garage windows in an attempt to conceal the extensive damage to the vehicle consistent with the fatal collision, authorities said.

Chapnick is free following his arrest in March 2014, after posting $150,000 bail with no 10 percent option, as set by Monmouth County Superior Court Judge Francis J. Vernoia.

If convicted of knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, Chapnick faces five to 10 years in state prison, and three to five years in state prison if convicted of hindering.