OCEAN COUNTY – An Ocean County grand jury has returned a multi-count indictment against a Toms River man in connection with a violent crash in Lakewood Township that claimed the life of a Matawan woman earlier this year, authorities said.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Martine Taylor Jr., 56, was indicted on December 18, 2025, on charges including aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide and causing death while driving with a suspended license. The charges stem from a May 13, 2025, crash on Cedar Bridge Avenue that killed 52-year-old Christine Kroliczak.
Police were first alerted to the incident shortly before 1:35 a.m. when a commercial tractor-trailer driver reported striking overhead utility wires near the Garden State Parkway overpass. As officers investigated the reported utility damage, they discovered a severely wrecked 2015 Nissan Altima overturned in a drainage ditch along the eastbound lanes.
Taylor was found trapped inside the vehicle and was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment. Kroliczak, who was seated in the passenger side, was unresponsive when officers arrived. Despite life-saving efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators determined the Altima had been traveling westbound before crossing the double yellow centerline into oncoming traffic. The vehicle left the roadway, became airborne and traveled an estimated 189 feet, clearing a guardrail and striking a utility pole. The impact caused extensive damage before the car briefly touched down, became airborne again and struck a tree, ultimately landing upside down in a ditch.
Authorities said Taylor’s driver’s license was suspended at the time of the crash. A court-authorized blood draw later revealed his blood alcohol concentration was .182, more than twice the legal limit of .08 in New Jersey. Data recovered during the investigation also showed the vehicle was traveling between 94 and 98 miles per hour just before the crash, nearly double the posted 50 mile-per-hour speed limit, with no evidence of braking.
Taylor was initially charged with causing death while driving with a suspended license and issued several traffic summonses. Following the review of toxicology results and additional evidence, prosecutors upgraded the charges to aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide.
Taylor was taken into custody on September 11, 2025, at a hotel in Toms River without incident and has remained detained at the Ocean County Jail since that time.
Prosecutor Billhimer credited Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Heisler and multiple law enforcement agencies for their work on the case, including the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, the Lakewood Township Police Department and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.
