WHITING – A Whiting man has been sentenced to state prison after driving drunk and colliding into another car, officials said.
William Andujar, 52, was sentenced to four years New Jersey State Prison in connection with an incident that occurred in Berkeley on November 2, 2020. The sentence is subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act, meaning that Andujar will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he may be considered eligible for parole.
Additionally, the judge imposed a consecutive sentence of one-year in prison relative to a violation of probation.
The two-car crash occurred in the area of Pinewald-Keswick Road, where Andujar had been driving westbound and crashed into a car, driven by Susan Ewing, 44, of South Toms River, from behind. The impact forced both vehicles off the roadway into a wooded area, officials said.
Ewing had sustained serious bodily injuries as a result of the crash and was flown to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune for treatment. She was eventually discharged and is still recovering from those injuries, officials said.
Andujar was also transported to Jersey Shore Medical Center after the incident. Police obtained a search warrant for a draw of his blood and received results on November 23, 2020 stating that Andujar had a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .18 percent which is over the state’s legal limit of .08. The laboratory results also revealed a significant quantity of methadone in Andujar’s system.
On November 24, 2020, Andujar was arrested and charged with Assault by Automobile. The additional charge of Aggravated Assault was filed on December 8, 2020, as a result of further developments in the investigation. Andujar has been lodged in the Ocean County Jail since his arrest on November 24, 2020.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer acknowledged the diligent efforts of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Robert Cassidy who handled the case on behalf of the State, and commended the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit -Vehicular Homicide Squad, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, Berkeley Police, South Toms River Police, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their collaborative efforts in connection with this investigation leading to Andujar’s guilty plea, and now his state prison sentence.
