Old Bridge Man Was High On Marijuana When He Killed Trucker On Rt. 9: Prosecutor

SAYREVILLE, NJ — An Old Bridge man was driving high on marijuana when he tried to pass in the shoulder of Rt. 9, hitting and killing a trucker who had pulled over to fix his truck in late May, the Middlesex County Prosecutor said this week.

William Hunter, Jr., 33, of Old Bridge, was taken into police custody Monday and charged with third-degree strict liability vehicular homicide for the death of Jamal Ebron, 53, of Jersey City.

As per the conditions of bail reform, Hunter was released and is scheduled for a pre-trial indictment conference Sept. 30 in Middlesex County Superior Court. This is a public court hearing where county prosecutors, Hunter and his lawyer will try to resolve the case before it goes to a grand jury. He has not yet been indicted.

The incident happened just before dawn on May 21. Ebron was driving a tractor trailer truck that had broken down and become disabled in the right lane of traffic on Rt. 9 north on the Edison bridge, which carries Rt. 9 over Raritan Bay.

Ebron pulled the tractor trailer over onto the shoulder and got out of the truck to try and make repairs.

That's when a Hyundai Kona, driven by Hunter, tried to use the shoulder to pass the tractor trailer, said Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone. When Sayreville Police got to the scene, they said Hunter "appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol," and police later found multiple empty packages of pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes and empty packages of marijuana edibles inside the Hyundai Kona.

Ebron's sister, Carla Harrington, told NJ101.5 the family wants justice for her brother.

"We are calling for transparency, accountability and justice for Jamal. We want his life to be honored and for the truth of his death to be fully revealed,” she said.

Here is a recounting of the incident in an affidavit released Tuesday by the Middlesex County Prosecutor:

At 4:51 a.m. on May 21, Sayreville Police first received 911 calls that a tractor trailer had become disabled in the lane of traffic on Rt. 9 north on the Edison bridge. Minutes later, Sayreville Police received additional 911 calls that a motor vehicle accident had just occurred.

When officers got there, they found the driver of the tractor trailer (later identified as Ebron) wedged between the front end of the Hyundai and the rear of his tractor trailer. He was dead.

The Hyundai was in the shoulder.

"It appeared that the Hyundai was attempting to pass the tractor trailer in the right shoulder when it struck the rear end of the trailer," read the affidavit. "New Jersey Department of Transportation footage of the crash was obtained, which confirmed the Hyundai was attempting to pass the disabled tractor trailer in the right shoulder when it struck the trailer. "

Hunter broke his leg in the collision and he had to be taken to Raritan Bay Medical Center.

He "appeared to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the offense," said police.

A Sayreville Police officer went to the hospital and spoke with Hunter, who declined to provide a statement but did give consent to have his blood taken. His blood was drawn by hospital staff at 9:03 a.m.

A search warrant for the Hyundai was also approved.

"Located inside the vehicle were multiple empty packages of pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes and empty packages of marijuana edibles," said police. "The electronic data recorder of the Hyundai was downloaded, which revealed the vehicle was traveling at 52 miles per hour (it had to be adjusted from kilometers, as the Hyundai Kona is programmed to kilometers) 0.5 seconds prior to impact with no braking application, and 45 miles per hour at impact with the brake applied."

The blood test results came back on June 13 that Hunter had marijuana (THC), in his blood, said the prosecutor.

This is the accident that caused traffic delays for hours that morning on Rt. 9, Rt. 35 and even the Parkway.

Initial Patch report: Man Hit, Killed While Fixing Truck On Rt. 9 Bridge Over Raritan Bay (May 22)