Man indicted in fatal 2006 crash

Scott Morgan, Managing Editor
   A Monmouth County Grand Jury last week indicted an Upper Freehold man in connection with the February 2006 fatal accident that claimed the life of a local historian.
   Louis A. Tufano Jr., 27, was indicted on Sept. 20 on one count of second-degree vehicular homicide and three counts of fourth-degree assault by auto. The chargesfollow a two-car collision on Meirs Road that killed 75-year-old Ethelyn Maginnis, a former township clerk and longtime member of the Allentown/Upper Freehold Historical Society.
   According to Monmouth County prosecutors, a State Police investigation revealed that Mr. Tufano was speeding in a 1993 Toyota near Burlington Path Road when he crested a hill and becae airborne. Mr. Tufano’s vehicle landed in the opposite (northbound) lane and collided head-onwith a Buick LaSabre driven by Ms. Mginnis’ 80-year-old husband, William. Ms. Maginnis suffered blunt trauma injuries to her chest and abdomen and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
   Mr. and Mrs. Maginnis served as Upper Freehold’s clerk and deputy clerk, respectively, between the 1960s and 1980s.
   Mr. Maginnis, suffered numerous lacerations, contusions and fractures, and he was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, in Hamilton, where he underwent emergency medical treatment. Two additional passengers in Mr. Tufano’s car, a 16-year-old Middletown girl and David Morrissey, 26, of New Egypt, also received emergency medical treatment for injuries they sustained in the crash.
   Mr. Tufano was reLeased after posting10-percent of the $50,000 bail, as set by Superior Court Judge Thomas Scully.
   If convicted of vehicular manslaughter, Mr. Tufano faces up to 10 years in state prison. Any sentence, prosecutors said, would require he serve 85 percent before he could be released on parole. The assault by auto charges could, in addition, add up to 18 months to Mr. Tufano’s sentence.
   Prosecutor Luis Valentin stated, “The reckless operation of a motor vehicle on the streets of Monmouth County has had a profound effect on a number of victims. An innocent woman lost her life, and her husband and two others sustained serious injuries.”
   The next court proceeding will be the arraignment of the defendant, which is the formal presentation of the indictment to the defendant. The arraignment will be scheduled before Superior Court Judge Anthony Mellaci Jr.
   The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Allan Stacy.