MANCHESTER – A Howell man faces serious charges after he allegedly drove a utility terrain vehicle into a lake on the Heritage Minerals property with an adult passenger and three kids.
Stephen McGuire, 43, of Howell, was driving the UTV with James Grover, 62, also of Howell, on December 12 at 8:30 p.m., police said. There were three minors in the vehicle with them. After driving into the lake on the Heritage property, the vehicle became submerged and Grover did not resurface.
McGuire was charged with Vehicular Homicide, Strict Liability Vehicular Homicide, three counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Criminal Trespass, Driving While Intoxicated, Driving While Intoxicated with a Minor as a Passenger, and Reckless Driving.
Charges are merely accusations until proven in a court of law.
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McGuire and other members of the group he was with attempted to locate Grover but were unsuccessful. Manchester Township Police and members of the Manchester, Ridgeway and Whiting Volunteer Fire Companies conducted an underwater dive search and rescue operation. They found the vehicle overturned and submerged in 25 feet of water. Grover was still strapped in with a safety harness. Life saving measures were conducted but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was learned that McGuire had a blood alcohol concentration of .127 percent. This is over the legal limit of .08.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer commended the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, Manchester Township Police Department, New Jersey State Police Aviation Unit, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, Manchester Volunteer Fire Company, Ridgeway Volunteer Fire Company, Whiting Volunteer Fire Company, Manchester Township Emergency Medical Services, Robert Wood Johnson Paramedics, and Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, for their collaborative efforts relative to this investigation.
