BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer
A settlement has finally been reached in the case of North Brunswick Councilman Ralph Andrews’ October hit-and-run accident.
On March 14 in East Brunswick Municipal Court, Andrews, a Democrat who was elected following the crash in November, was found guilty of reckless driving and failing to report an accident.
The charge of leaving the scene of an accident was dismissed.
Pete Maimone, chairman of the North Brunswick Republican Organization, believes Andrews got off easy.
“It sounds to me by virtue of the fact that the charge of leaving the scene of the accident was dropped, [Andrews avoided] the minimum mandate of six months of license suspension,” he said.
“The morning after the accident, there were quotes from the mayor and the party chairman before the real facts came out. I think he got a sweetheart deal because of his political connections,” Maimone said.
Councilman Andrews could not be reached for comment.
Andrews must pay $378 in total fines, including a $100 fine for failure to report the accident with a $36 court cost and a $206 fine for reckless driving with a $36 court cost, according to North Brunswick Municipal Court Clerk Sandra Kapler.
In a statement released at the time of the crash, Andrews promised to make full restitution for all damages.
According to police reports, Andrews crashed his 2002 Lexus into a parked van on McAuliffe Drive at 3:02 a.m. Oct. 3. The impact of the crash pushed a third vehicle 100 feet into the roadway.
After hearing the loud sound of the crash, neighbors called the police.
Police knocked on the front door of Andrews’ residence, but left with no response. Although some members of the public questioned the handling of the matter, an independent investigation by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office later concluded that the police followed all procedures properly.
In regard to why he left the scene of the accident, Andrews said in his statement that “Considering the time of night this occurred and the fact that this happened in my neighborhood, a short distance from my home, I decided that rather than wake up my neighbors in the middle of the night, I would speak with them in the morning.” Andrews also stated he contacted police after returning from the hospital the next day.
The case was moved to East Brunswick due to a conflict of interests, and was postponed a few times.