By: Richard L. Smith
A Gloucester County jury has found a Williamstown man guilty in connection with a high-speed crash that claimed the life of a Marlton resident.
According to Gloucester County Prosecutor Andrew B. Johns, 26-year-old Gabriel H. Woolson was convicted Tuesday of second-degree death by auto following a trial before Judge Russell DePersia.
Prosecutors said the fatal crash occurred at approximately 5:40 p.m. on December 14, 2022, on the South Black Horse Pike in Williamstown.
Woolson was operating a 2011 Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 westbound at an extremely high rate of speed when his vehicle collided with a car driven by 52-year-old Evan Silverstein of Marlton.
Investigators determined that Silverstein had been traveling eastbound and was making a left turn across the westbound lanes when the collision occurred.
The impact was so severe that Silverstein’s vehicle was cut in half, with the front portion thrown more than 100 feet into the parking lot of a nearby strip mall.
Silverstein was ejected from the vehicle and suffered catastrophic injuries.
He was pronounced dead as a result of the crash. A passenger riding in Woolson’s Corvette was also injured.
Evidence presented during the trial showed Woolson’s Corvette reached 119 miles per hour approximately three seconds before the collision.
Investigators also determined that the vehicle’s brakes were not applied until about one second before impact.
The State called multiple witnesses during the trial, including an eyewitness and several expert witnesses. In addition to the death-by-auto conviction, Judge DePersia found Woolson guilty of reckless driving and speeding.
He was found not guilty of assault by auto related to injuries suffered by his passenger.
Woolson faces up to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison when he is sentenced on August 21, 2026.