9 Months In Prison For Woman Who Hit And Killed Aberdeen Woman, And Fled Scene

MATAWAN, NJ — A woman who hit and killed an Aberdeen woman in 2024 — and did not stop to render aid, leaving her to die — was released from prison Monday, after serving nine months of her three-year prison sentence.

Sonia Gomez, 66, of Matawan, admitted causing the hit-and-run death of Aberdeen resident Judith Fox-Hernandez, 58, in 2024.

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The family and friends of Fox-Hernandez say they are deeply saddened — and angry.

"My aunt's children and her husband have been in a daze this week; it's like she was killed all over again," said Jillian Vaccarella, Fox-Hernandez's niece. "We are devastated. Sonia Gomez was released from prison after serving only nine months behind bars. She will be back home with her family after serving less than a year. Meanwhile, we will never see my aunt again."

Police say Gomez hit Fox-Hernandez at 7:24 p.m. on Sept. 4, 2024 at the intersection of Atlantic Avenue and 2nd Street in Aberdeen.

Aberdeen Police received a 911 call and responded to find a woman lying in the road.

Gomez was driving a 2015 Honda Pilot when she hit the other woman. After she hit Fox-Hernandez, she did not stop. Nor did she report the collision to law enforcement.

According to Fox-Hernandez's family, it was other people driving by who saw the crash, immediately pulled over and rushed to help the severely injured woman.

One person even followed Gomez's Honda Pilot as it fled, and helped provide critical information to the police, said the family.

Also, they say that because of road closures that day, Gomez was forced to drive past the crash site a second time before hiding her car and attempting to repair it.

Fox-Hernandez was rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, but she died there of her injuries 25 days later, on September 29.

Gomez pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident. She was sentenced in October 2025 to three years in state prison, which would have had her in prison until November 2017.

However, Gomez's prison term did not include any mandatory minimum prison time. And Gomez was deemed by the prison system as a "non-violent offender." That's why she was eligible for a relatively new reform to New Jersey's criminal justice system, the Earn Your Way Out Act.

The reform was signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy in 2020 and it allows non-violent criminal offenders to be released from prison as soon as they become eligible for parole. Murphy said he specifically signed this criminal justice reform to reduce the number of people in New Jersey prisons. The Earn Your Way Out Act could lead to the release of nearly 2,000 additional inmates each year, say supporters.

Nicole Swiderski, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, confirmed that Gomez met the criteria for Earn Your Way Out. As soon as she became eligible for parole, her release from prison was approved. She was set free Monday.

The grieving family of Fox-Hernandez said they were notified that Gomez qualified for early release. They tried in vain to fight it.

"We wrote letters to everyone: The Monmouth County Prosecutor, the New Jersey Attorney General, Department of Corrections, the New Jersey State Parole Board," said Vaccarella. "Nobody even got back to us."

"The prosecutor’s office told us we would have an opportunity to (speak) before the parole board and object this decision, but we were never given that opportunity," she continued. "They said it was automatically granted due to the law put in place by the previous governor."

"She hit her and left her to die by the side of the road like an animal. The legal system and Monmouth Prosecutor's office let us all down. We will never stop seeking justice for Judi.”

The family created this Facebook page: Justice for Judi Fox-Hernandez

First report: Matawan Woman Admitted Leaving Scene Of 2024 Accident That Killed Pedestrian (July 2025)