OCEAN COUNTY – A woman with fentanyl in her system was charged with vehicular homicide for her role in causing a fatal crash.
Michelle Roselli, 36, of Spotsylvania County, Virginia pleaded guilty to Vehicular Homicide, Assault by Auto, and Driving Under the Influence, police said. She faces a term of six years in prison for Vehicular Homicide and another five for Assault by Auto at her sentencing on July 14. These terms could be served at the same time, however. Additionally, the first charge would be subject to the No Early Release Act, which means she must serve 85% of her sentence before being eligible for parole.
On January 26, 2020, she was heading south on the Garden State Parkway. At around mile marker 64, Roselli’s Honda Civic veered out of its lane and struck a Toyota Scion driven by Kathy Nguyen, 32, of Bayville. This caused Nguyen’s car to leave the roadway and strike trees.
Nguyen had a juvenile in the front passenger seat. The two of them were treated for injuries and released. However, the passengers in the back were injured more severely. Tri Nguyen, 66, and Thuy Duong, 51, both of Berkeley, were hospitalized. Tri Nguyen succumbed to his injuries about a month later. Duong remains in a rehabilitation facility to this day, police said.
There was 8.6 nanograms of fentanyl in Roselli’s system, based on a blood draw the police did after the crash. State law elevates crimes of this nature to Vehicular Homicide and Assault by Auto.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer acknowledged the efforts of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Jamie Schron who is handling the case on behalf of the State, and commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office High Tech Crime Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, New Jersey State Police Crime Scene Investigation Unit, New Jersey State Police Troop D Criminal Investigations Unit, New Jersey State Police Construction/ Incident Management Unit, Stafford Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, for their combined assistance.
