By: Richard L. Smith
A Toms River man has been charged with aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide following a deadly motor vehicle crash in the township late Friday night, authorities announced.
According to Bradley D. Billhimer, the charges stem from a collision that occurred on January 23, 2026, at approximately 8:50 p.m. at the intersection of Romana Lane and Route 37 westbound in Toms River.
Police responding to reports of a serious crash found two heavily damaged vehicles at the scene — a white Nissan Maxima and a red Chevrolet Trax.
The driver of the Chevrolet, 76-year-old Ronald Bucher of Toms River, was extricated from the vehicle with severe injuries. Despite life-saving efforts, Bucher was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Jamie Doyle, 40, also of Toms River, was identified as the driver of the Nissan Maxima. Authorities said Doyle displayed erratic behavior, irregular speech, and constricted pupils at the scene.
He was transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River for treatment of a broken femur and possible head injuries.
An investigation conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit–Vehicular Homicide Squad, with assistance from the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, determined that the Nissan was traveling westbound on Route 37 while the Chevrolet was traveling southbound on Romana Lane and crossing Route 37.
Investigators concluded that the Chevrolet had the right of way when the Nissan struck it head-on, causing significant intrusion into the passenger compartment.
Witnesses told investigators that the Nissan had been driven erratically and had disregarded multiple traffic signals prior to the crash.
Authorities further determined that Doyle was operating the vehicle with a suspended driver’s license at the time of the collision.
A blood draw was obtained from Doyle at the hospital pursuant to a court-authorized search warrant. The results remain pending.
Doyle was initially charged on January 23 with operating a motor vehicle with a suspended driver’s license while involved in a crash causing death, along with several motor vehicle summonses, including driving while suspended, driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, careless driving, and failure to observe a traffic control device.
Further investigation revealed that Doyle’s vehicle was traveling at approximately 106 miles per hour five seconds before impact and struck Bucher’s vehicle at an estimated speed of 65 miles per hour.
The posted speed limit on Route 37 westbound is 50 miles per hour.
As a result, the charges were upgraded to aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide.
Doyle remains in the custody of the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office while receiving medical treatment. He is expected to be transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he will be held pending a detention hearing.