A New Jersey man has been arrested and charged with vehicular homicide in connection to a crash that killed a construction worker, after a blood test revealed he had alcohol and multiple drugs in his system at the time.
Douglas Smith, 51, of Lakehurst, was arrested on Wednesday at a residence in Toms River, about a month after the construction zone crash claimed the life of 50-year-old Allen Adams, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Adams was operating machinery in a construction zone on Lakewood Road in the early hours of July 31 when he was allegedly struck by a vehicle driven by Smith. The machinery was equipped with flashing amber warning lights, prosecutors said.
Smith, who was quickly located by police just north of the crash site, showed signs of impairment and was initially charged with DWI and reckless driving. He was then taken to the Community Medical Center in Toms River, where police, under a court-approved warrant, drew a blood sample.
On Wednesday, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the lab results showed that Smith’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.151 at the time, nearly twice New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08. He was also found to have cocaine, fentanyl and methadone in his system.
As a result, he was additionally charged with vehicular homicide and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Smith was taken into custody by officers from the U.S. Marshal’s Service Fugitive Task Force, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office and Toms River Police Department. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he’s currently being held pending a detention hearing.
Tammie Malek and Amy Thorn were charged with hindering apprehension after authorities said they gave false information about Douglas Smith’s whereabouts. (Ocean County Jail)
Throughout the investigation, detectives also learned that two other people gave false information about Smith’s whereabouts.
Tammie Malek, 46, and Amy Thorn, 56, both of Toms River, were also arrested Wednesday and charged with hindering apprehension. They were taken to Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.
https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/09/03/toms-river-nj-dui-crash-vehicular-homicide-charges/
