Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on March 8, 2024, the Honorable Kimarie Rahill, J.S.C., sentenced William Andujar, 52, of Whiting, to four years New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) as a result of his previously entered guilty plea to Aggravated Assault in connection with an incident that occurred in Berkeley Township on November 2, 2020. The sentence is subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act (NERA), meaning that Andujar will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility. Additionally, Judge Rahill imposed a consecutive sentence of one year NJSP relative to a violation of probation. Andujar pled guilty to both charges before Judge Rahill on December 18, 2023.
On November 2, 2020, at approximately 7:00 pm., Berkeley Township Police responded to a report of crash involving two motor vehicles in the area of West Pinewald Keswick Road. An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad and Berkeley Township Police Department revealed that Andujar, who was traveling westbound in a 2010 Honda CRV, crashed into a 2003 Hyundai Elantra operated by Susan Ewing, 44, of South Toms River, from behind. The impact forced both vehicles off the roadway into a wooded area. The victim, Ms. Ewing, sustained serious bodily injuries as a consequence of Andujar crashing into her vehicle. Ms. Ewing was flown to Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune for treatment of those injuries. Ms. Ewing was subsequently discharged and is still recovering from those injuries.
Andujar was likewise transported to Jersey Shore Medical Center following the crash, and a search warrant was obtained for a draw of his blood. Laboratory results from the blood draw – received by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office on November 23, 2020 – indicated that Andujar had a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of .18 percent at the time his blood was drawn. In the State of New Jersey, an operator of a motor vehicle is presumed to be over the legal limit for purposes of alcohol consumption where his/her BAC is .08 or greater. The laboratory results also revealed a significant quantity of methadone in Andujar’s system.
On November 24, 2020, Andujar was arrested by Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad and South Toms River Police Department, and charged with Assault by Automobile. The additional charge of Aggravated Assault was filed on December 8, 2020, as a result of further developments in the investigation. Andujar has been lodged in the Ocean County Jail since his arrest on November 24, 2020.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Robert Cassidy who handled the case on behalf of the State, and commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit -Vehicular Homicide Squad, Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Advocacy Unit, Berkeley Township Police Department, South Toms River Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, for their collaborative efforts in connection with this investigation leading to Andujar’s guilty plea, and now his state prison sentence.