Charges Upgraded to Vehicular Homicide for Driver, 18, in Fatal Memorial Day Crash, Victims ID’d

Abel Mathukutty (Photo: Ocean County Jail)

A North Jersey man is facing upgraded charges of vehicular homicide in connection with a fatal hit-and-run accident that occurred near the entrance to the Thomas A. Mathis bridge over Route 37 on Memorial Day weekend.

Abel Mathukutty, 18, of Lake Hiawatha, has now been charged with vehicular homicide and assault by auto, prosecutors said in a statement issued Wednesday. He had already been facing charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and leaving the scene of an accident involving serious injury. Newly-determined facts in the case related to the suspect’s speed at the time of the crash led to the upgraded charges, according to prosecutors.

The crash occurred May 24, 2025, at approximately 7:25 p.m. near the easternmost portion of Route 37 on the mainland, near the Aqua Blu restaurant. Police responded for a report of a motor vehicle that had crashed into a utility pole, discovering upon arrival that a white Mercedes sedan, occupied by a female driver, later identified as Deborah Barone, 59, of Toms River, and a male passenger, Michael Barone, 64, also of Toms River – both of whom had sustained apparent serious bodily injuries – had crashed into a utility pole.

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Both occupants were transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where Deborah Barone succumbed to her injuries. Michael Barone was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune where he was treated for his injuries and subsequently released.

Investigators determined an Infiniti sedan had struck the Mercedes on the driver’s side, causing the Mercedes to crash into the utility pole. The Infiniti then fled the scene and continued eastbound, traveling over the Thomas A. Mathis Bridge. A description of the vehicle was broadcast to surrounding towns, and at approximately 8 p.m., officers from the Seaside Park Police Department stopped a vehicle matching the description of the suspect vehicle.

Officers noted in a report that the vehicle had sustained heavy passenger side damage and that the airbags in the vehicle had been deployed. Continuing investigation revealed that the Infiniti was, in fact, the same vehicle involved in the earlier crash, and that Mathukutty was operating the vehicle at the time of said crash, the statement said.

Mathukutty was taken into custody at the scene without incident and charged. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail and subsequently released under the terms of New Jersey’s bail reform policy.

A continuing investigation by the the prosecutor’s Vehicular Homicide Squad has revealed that the vehicle allegedly operated by Mathukutty was traveling at a rate of 76 m.p.h. at the time of the crash; the posted speed limit on Route 37 is 50 m.p.h.

“As a result of Mathukutty’s excessive speed at the time of impact, he was additionally charged with vehicular homicide and assault by auto on June 11, 2025,” the statement said. “Mathukutty was served with the charges at Toms River Township Police Headquarters via summons pending future appearances in Ocean County Superior Court.”