By: Richard L. Smith
A Lakehurst man has been sentenced to nine years in New Jersey State Prison for striking and killing a construction worker while driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs in Toms River last year.
According to a statement released by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, Douglas Smith, 52, received the sentence on October 23, 2026, following his guilty plea to vehicular homicide in the death of Allen Adams, 50, of Lumberton Township.
Authorities said Adams was working in a construction zone along Lakewood Road near Raymond Avenue at approximately 1 a.m. on July 31, 2025, when he was struck by Smith's northbound vehicle.
Investigators determined that construction machinery in the area was equipped with flashing amber warning lights at the time of the crash.
Emergency responders found Adams lying in the roadway with serious injuries. He was rushed to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where he was pronounced dead.
Police located Smith's vehicle a short distance north of the crash scene. Officers who encountered Smith observed signs of impairment, prompting an investigation that included a court-authorized blood draw.
Laboratory testing later revealed Smith had a blood alcohol concentration of .151, nearly twice New Jersey's legal limit of .08.
Authorities also discovered cocaine, fentanyl and methadone in his system.
Smith was subsequently charged with vehicular homicide on August 28, 2025, and arrested on September 3 at a Toms River residence by members of the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force and local law enforcement agencies.
He has remained in the Ocean County Jail since his arrest.
Smith pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide on August 31, 2026.
During his sentencing before Superior Court Judge Kenneth T. Palmer, Smith also pleaded guilty to driving while intoxicated, resulting in a 10-year suspension of his driving privileges.
Under New Jersey's No Early Release Act, Smith must serve at least 85 percent of his nine-year prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole.