Manchester Man Pleads Guilty In Fatal Hit-And-Run Crash

MANCHESTER, NJ — A Manchester Township man has pleaded guilty to two charges in a hit-and-run crash that killed another Manchester man last April, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced.

Kevin Noonan, 63, pleaded guilty on Monday before Superior Court Judge Lisa A. Puglisi to knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death and to the motor vehicle offense of leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in injury or death in the April 13, 2021 incident that killed Jack Gotfried, 69, of Whiting.

Noonan had been at Gotfried's Yorktowne Parkway picking up furniture that Gotfried was giving away. In the course of loading the truck, Noonan backed up at high speed, hitting Gotfried and pinning him against a truck parked in front of Gotfried's home, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Noonan then drove away, leaving Gotfried injured in the road, Billhimer said. Noonan was found a short time later walking along Western Boulevard in Lacey Township, and was arrested, Billhimer said.

Noonan has been in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River since then.

Gotfried suffered traumatic injuries to his lower extremities and was flown to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he succumbed to his injuries, Billhimer said.

Noonan is scheduled to be sentenced on April 1, and Billhimer said prosecutors will be seeking a term of six years in prison.

Billhimer commended the efforts of Assistant Prosecutor Victoria Veni who is handling the case, as well as the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit, Manchester Township Police Department Patrol Division, Manchester Township Police Department Detective Bureau, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their investigation.

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