TOMS RIVER – Every seat in an Ocean County courtroom was filled Friday morning as Judge Dina M. Vicari prepared to sentence Danielle Bowker, 34, the Toms River woman a jury convicted of two counts of vehicular homicide in a crash that killed two men.
Family members of the victims sat alongside Bowker’s relatives and supporters. Some stared straight ahead. Others clutched tissues. The room was quiet, tense, and heavy with anticipation as the judge methodically outlined the case, the verdict, and the legal framework that would guide her decision.
“This is emotionally charged, and it’s understood,” Vicari later told those gathered. “People sitting here today have competing opinions and desires as to the outcome.”
State Requests Jail
Before the court heard from the families, prosecutors made clear what they believed justice required.
Senior Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Burke urged the judge to impose a state prison sentence, arguing that the deaths of two people justified incarceration despite the presumption against prison for third-degree offenses.
“This is not an accident,” Burke said. “A fender bender is an accident. This is an act of recklessness, and it’s recklessness of such a degree that it killed two people.”
The state asked for six years in New Jersey State Prison, seeking three years on each count, served consecutively.
“We are dealing with two offenses, not just one offense,” Burke said. “Two deaths, Your Honor.”
Burke argued that Bowker’s conduct went beyond what was necessary to establish third-degree vehicular homicide, pointing to evidence that she crossed into oncoming traffic and was traveling well above the posted speed limit. He also argued that deterrence and accountability required incarceration.
Defense: “Not A Crime Of Passion”
Defense attorney John Menzel countered that prison would serve no meaningful purpose and urged the court to impose probation instead.
“This was not a crime of evil. This was not a crime of passion,” Menzel said. “This was an accident, a terrible accident.”
He emphasized Bowker’s lack of criminal history, her compliance with strict court conditions over nearly four years, and dozens of letters submitted on her behalf describing her as caring, charitable, and deeply remorseful.
“There’s only one way jail even becomes relevant,” Menzel said. “And that’s if we’re talking about vengeance. It doesn’t help the families, and it doesn’t help society.”
Bowker And Victims Address The Court
Speaking on her own behalf, Bowker turned to address those in the galley, which included the widows of the two men killed in the crash.
“There is not a day that passes since March 29, 2022, that I have not grieved the losses of both Mr. Sadis and Mr. Lamberti,” she said. “I will live with this grief and carry it with me for the rest of my life.”
She described the crash as a moment that permanently altered her life. “In a matter of seconds and a total of inches, my entire world came to a crushing halt,” Bowker said. “This was a tragic accident.”
Bowker asked the judge to allow her to rebuild her life and continue contributing positively to the community.
The first of the victim’s impact statements came from Tina Sadis, the widow of Michael Sadis. She believed that Bowker did not take responsibility for the crash that took her husband’s life. “From the moment the accident occurred, she knew she was at fault, yet her immediate response was not accountability.”
“There is no way to truly describe the pain and devastation that Danielle Bowker’s recklessness has caused,” she said. “The day my husband was killed, my entire world ended.”
Tina described learning of her husband’s death only after calling police herself, never being able to say goodbye, and burying him on what would have been their 13th wedding anniversary.
“To lose someone that way, without warning, without a chance for one final touch or word, is a pain that tears you apart from the inside out,” she said. She detailed the lasting impact of her husband’s death, including caring alone for his developmentally delayed brother and struggling with traumatic grief, PTSD, and anxiety.
Peggy Barr, the widow of Paul Lamberti, then addressed the court with a markedly different message.
“There are no winners,” Barr said. “Paul will not be coming home after all of this ends, but I do not wish to see Danielle go to jail.”
She described her husband as a smart, funny and caring man who especially appreciated his role as a devoted father. She said she had come to witness the love between Bowker and her family through years of court appearances.
“I was able to talk and cry with Danielle at the end of trial,” Barr said. “I was so thankful for that opportunity.”
“I truly hope Danielle will do wonderful things with her life,” she added.
Paul Lamberti’s sister, Patricia Lamberti, echoed that view, calling the crash a tragic accident and urging the court not to impose a prison sentence.
The Crash And The Verdict
The case stemmed from a crash that occurred shortly after 7:15 a.m. on March 29, 2022, at Whitesville Road and Route 571 in Manchester Township.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Bowker was driving a 2018 Honda Civic westbound when she failed to maintain her lane while negotiating a curve. Her vehicle crossed the center line and struck a New Jersey Department of Transportation Ford F-550 pickup truck traveling eastbound.
The impact caused the truck to lose control and strike a Toyota Camry driven by Michael Sadis, pushing it off the roadway and into an embankment. The truck then continued forward and struck a Toyota Corolla driven by Paul Lamberti.
Sadis, 48, was pronounced dead at the scene. Lamberti, 58, was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he later died.
After a nearly five-week trial in 2025, the jury found Bowker guilty of two counts of third-degree reckless vehicular homicide. Jurors acquitted her of second-degree charges and rejected allegations involving intoxication and cell phone use.
The Sentence And Its Full Weight
In a lengthy ruling, Judge Vicari said she was bound by the jury’s verdict and New Jersey sentencing law.
“I am bound by the verdict of the jury. I can’t go beyond that,” she said. “It is not for me to be arbitrary, to be led by any hate or sympathy.”
After weighing aggravating and mitigating factors, Vicari ruled that the presumption against incarceration had not been overcome.
Bowker was sentenced to five years of probation, ordered to undergo substance abuse evaluations and treatment if recommended, and required to obtain full-time employment. Her driver’s license was suspended for two years, and she was assessed fines, court costs, and mandatory penalties, including Safe Neighborhood Services Fund assessments. The judge warned that any violation of probation could result in jail time.
As the hearing ended, the courtroom emptied quietly. The sentence closed one chapter of the case but left two families grieving and a defendant facing years of court supervision for a single morning that altered many lives.
