The 36-year-old Hamilton man accused of killing a Bayonne man and his 5-year-old daughter today allegedly confessed he hadn't slept in over 24 hours and had taken 10 Adderall pills prior to the fatal New Jersey Turnpike crash.
Today, Scott Hahn who was charged with two counts each of aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide, appeared via videolink from Hudson County jail. Frank Gonzalez, a state-appointed public defender, requested that Hahn's $1 million bail be lowered to $200,000, but Hudson County Superior Court John Young denied request stating his client was a flight risk.
On Monday, February 22, at 3:19 p.m., troopers responded to a three-car crash westbound on the New Jersey Turnpike at Interchange 14C in Jersey City. Based on the preliminary investigation, detectives determined that Timothy O’Donnell, who was driving a 2001 Chevrolet Malibu, was slowing with traffic in lane 10 at the tolls. Hahn, the driver of a 1998 Mercedes-Benz - allegedly driving between 50 and 70 mph - when he rear-ended O’Donnell’s car. According to witnesses' accounts, Hahn was driving erratically and was even accelerating and decelerating prior to rear-ending O'Donnell's Chevrolet Malibu, the document states.
As a result of the impact, O’Donnell’s car traveled through the tolls and entered the eastbound lane. Eliasar Morales, 51, of Bayonne, N.J., was driving a 2013 Mercedes-Benz eastbound when he struck the O’Donnell car, which was in his lane of travel.
Timothy O’Donnell was pronounced deceased at the scene at 3:41 p.m. Bridget O’Donnell was transported to Jersey City Medical Center where she was later pronounced deceased at 3:43 p.m. Scott Hahn was transported to Jersey City Medical Center with moderate injuries, and was last listed as in stable condition. Eliasar Morales was transported to Bayonne Medical Center where he was treated for minor injuries and later released.