Quote:
A 19-year-old township man who died after falling off a moving SUV had jumped onto its hood after realizing the driver had sold him candy instead of a prescription drug, according to authorities.
The driver, Rebecca H. Martin, 20, of Brick, is facing vehicular homicide and drug distribution charges in connection with the incident Sunday afternoon, which police say caused the death of John Bartolomei. Martin was in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River in lieu of $250,000 bail without the option to pay 10 percent for release.
During Martin's first appearance in court today, Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels told the diminutive defendant, dressed in a khaki jail uniform, that her bail would be reviewed within the next day and if it remained unchanged, she could request a formal hearing to seek to reduce it.
Bartolomei and an unidentified female juvenile had arranged to buy the prescription drug Roxicet from Martin, Mohel said.
Martin, who was in a yellow 2002 Ford Escape, tried to pass off two pieces of blue candy wrapped in plastic as the drug when they met up around 3:20 p.m. on 23rd Avenue, according to Michael Mohel, Ocean County Prosecutor's Office deputy chief.
After paying Martin, Bartolomei and the girl quickly discovered that the pills were candy, Mohel said. Bartolomei reached into the driver's side window in an attempt to grab his money back, and the girl jumped on the car as Martin drove west on 23rd Avenue, Mohel said.
Martin continued up 23rd Avenue with both people hanging on the car, he said. When Martin disobeyed a stop sign at Herbertsville Road, Bartolomei was thrown from the hood and was struck by a car traveling south on Herbertsville Road, Mohel said.
Martin continued across Herbertsville Road on 23rd Avenue with the girl hanging on, before the Escape hit a mailbox and Martin ran from the vehicle, he said. The girl suffered only minor injuries, Mohel said.
Bartolomei was taken to Ocean Medical Center in Brick, where he was pronounced dead, Mohel said.
Martin was spotted a short time later walking on Branch Boulevard near 19th Avenue, where she was arrested, Mohel said.
Officers Gerald Lampiasi and Jeff Lindquist responded to the scene.
Deputy Assistant Public Defender Eugenia Lynch represented Martin at the brief proceeding but said afterward that she so far had little information about the case.
So there was a tribute page to the kid and some girl said something stupid and people were making death threats to her, so I told them that we shouldn't use violence. After that John's sister starting calling me heartless and all his friends were saying I was causing drama, now my entire town(Brick, NJ) hates me!
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I'm Nicole Marie Doherty, the creator of Stewart Mango the cartoon show.
www.stewartmango.com
03 Jul 2010, 5:12 pm
