Toms River Man Hit Crossing Route 9 Faces Charges: Police

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A Toms River man was injured Monday evening when he was hit by a vehicle while crossing Route 9, Toms River police said Tuesday.

The man, Eric Sexton, 52, was wearing dark clothing and police said he may have been under the influence of alcohol when he was hit while crossing at Clover Road just after 9 p.m., said Jillian Messina, media specialist for the Toms River Police Department.

Sexton was hit just in front of Stop and Shop by a vehicle driven by Mihai Pasnicu, 72 of Lakewood, who was headed south on Route 9 at the time.

Sexton was unresponsive when police arrived and was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, by Hatzolah EMS, Messina said.

The preliminary investigation showed the driver, Pasnicu, was not impaired and was not using his cell phone at the time of the accident, Messina said.

Motor vehicle charges are pending against Sexton, she said. Traffic Safety Officer Adam Koeppen
and Evidence Tech Officer William Hutton are investigating.

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