OCEAN COUNTY – A Lakehurst man has been indicted on a vehicular homicide charge in connection with a deadly work zone crash in Toms River, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced.
A county grand jury returned an indictment on December 18, 2025, charging Douglas Smith, 51, with vehicular homicide stemming from a July 31, 2025, crash that killed Allen Adams, 50, of Lumberton Township. Two Toms River women — Tammie Malek, 46, and Amy Thorn, 56 — were also indicted on charges of hindering the apprehension of another in connection with the same case.
The incident occurred shortly after 1:00 a.m. on July 31 at the intersection of Lakewood Road and Raymond Avenue. Toms River police responding to reports of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle found Adams lying in the roadway with critical injuries. He was taken to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators determined Adams was working overnight in a construction zone on Lakewood Road when he was struck by a northbound vehicle. The work area was marked with construction equipment displaying flashing amber warning lights, authorities said.
Police located the suspected vehicle nearby and identified Smith as the driver. Officers reported Smith showed signs of impairment and initially charged him with driving while intoxicated and reckless driving. A court-authorized blood draw was later obtained at the hospital.
According to the prosecutor’s office, laboratory testing revealed Smith’s blood alcohol concentration was .151, nearly twice the legal limit in New Jersey. Tests also showed the presence of cocaine, fentanyl and methadone. Based on those findings, Smith was formally charged with vehicular homicide on August 28, 2025, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Smith was taken into custody without incident on September 3, 2025, after being located at a Toms River residence by members of the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office and Toms River police. He remains held at the Ocean County Jail pending trial.
During the investigation, detectives said Malek and Thorn provided false information to law enforcement regarding Smith’s location. Both women were arrested on September 3 and charged with hindering apprehension. They were later released under New Jersey’s bail reform guidelines.
Billhimer credited Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Meghan O’Neill for presenting the case to the grand jury and praised multiple local, county and federal agencies for their joint investigative efforts.
