OCEAN COUNTY – A woman has been sentenced to six years in New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) for her role in causing a fatal crash, officials said.
Michelle Roselli, 36, of Spotsylvania County, Virginia previously pleaded guilty to Vehicular Homicide. This sentence will be subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act, meaning that Roselli will be required to serve at least 85 percent of her prison sentence before she may be considered for parole eligibility. Additionally, Roselli was sentenced to five years NJSP as a result of her previously entered guilty plea to Assault by Auto. Finally, Roselli was sentenced to time served in connection with her previously entered guilty plea to Driving Under the Influence, in addition to imposing a one-year suspension of her driving privileges.
On January 26, 2020, Roselli was heading south on the Garden State Parkway. At around mile marker 64, Roselli’s Honda Civic veered out of its lane and struck a Toyota Scion driven by Kathy Nguyen, 32, of Bayville. This caused Nguyen’s car to leave the roadway and strike trees.
Nguyen had a juvenile in the front passenger seat. The two of them were treated for injuries and released. However, the passengers in the back were injured more severely. Tri Nguyen, 66, and Thuy Duong, 51, both of Berkeley, were hospitalized. Tri Nguyen succumbed to his injuries about a month later. Duong was transferred to a Rehabilitation Facility and was subsequently released, police said.
There was 8.6 nanograms of fentanyl in Roselli’s system, based on a blood draw the police did after the crash. State law elevates crimes of this nature to Vehicular Homicide and Assault by Auto.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Schron who handled the case on behalf of the State, and commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, New Jersey State Police Crime Scene Investigation Unit, New Jersey State Police Troop D Criminal Investigations Unit, New Jersey State Police Construction/Incident Management Unit, Stafford Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, for their combined and collective assistance in connection with this investigation leading to Roselli’s guilty pleas, and now her state prison sentence.
