Drunken Hit-And-Run Crashes In Seaside Heights Draw Guilty Plea

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A New York man has pleaded guilty to being under the influence in an August 2021 hit-and-run crash that damaged one vehicle and led to a crash that injured two Seaside Heights police officers, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Tuesday.

Antwan McPhatter, 26, of Staten Island, pleaded guilty before Superior Court Judge Rochelle Gizinski to eluding, along with the motor vehicle offenses of driving while intoxicated and leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage in the crashes that happened in Seaside Heights on Aug. 19, 2021, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 3, with the state seeking a six-year prison term, Billhimer said.

McPhatter was driving a 2015 Jeep Cherokee about 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 19, 2021, when Seaside Heights police were called to Blaine Avenue at the Boulevard for the report of a hit-and-run, authorities said. The Jeep Cherokee had hit an unoccupied vehicle and then took off. Seaside Heights police found a Jeep Cherokee matching the description going the wrong direction on Sheridan Avenue. When they tried to pull it over, the driver, later identified as McPhatter, took off at high speed, ultimately going north on Route 35.

The Jeep Cherokee turned right onto Beach Drive in Ortley Beach and then came to a stop at the end of Beach Drive but accelerated westbound toward Route 35, authorities said. The Jeep Cherokee then ran a stop sign and entered Route 35, where McPhatter hit a marked Seaside Heights Police vehicle. The Jeep Cherokee then hit a utility pole that fell on it.

McPhatter got out and tried to run away but was arrested, authorities said.

Two Seaside Heights police officers were treated at Community Medical Center in Toms River for minor injuries and released, Billhimer said. McPhatter also was taken to Community Medical Center and his blood was drawn pursuant to a court-authorized warrant.

McPhatter was taken to the Ocean County Jail, where he has been lodged since his arrest.

Laboratory results of McPhatter’s blood draw showed he was under the influence of both alcohol and marijuana at the time of the crashes and was unfit to operate a motor vehicle, Billhimer said.

Senior Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Schron handled the case on behalf of the state. The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit, Seaside Heights Police Department, Toms River Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit investigated the case.