A Monmouth County grand jury has returned a two-count indictment against a former Howell resident who was charged in the 2014 fatal hit-and-run of a 58-year-old Spring Lake man, Monmouth County Acting Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni announced.
Abraham Chapnick, 84, formerly of Howell and now living in Pennsylvania, is charged with one count of knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death and hindering apprehension of oneself in connection with the collision that killed Charles McHugh on March 12, 2014.
A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office and the Howell Police Department determined that McHugh was riding his bicycle along Herbertsville Road in Howell when he was struck from behind by a 1995 black Lexus LS 400 sedan, owned and allegedly operated by Chapnick.
The prosecutor said information was developed during the investigation identifying Chapnick as the operator of the vehicle during the fatal hit-and-run.
Upon their arrival at his residence, law enforcement personnel observed newspapers, adhered by tape, on two garage windows in an alleged attempt to conceal the extensive damage to the Lexus consistent with the fatal collision.
Chapnick was arrested in March 2014 and remains free after posting bail in the amount of $150,000.
If convicted of knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, Chapnick faces a sentence of five to 10 years in a state prison, and three to five years in state prison if convicted of hindering.