Jury Finds Union Twp Woman Guilty of Vehicular Homicide in 2010 Crash

A jury found a 41-year old Union Township woman guilty of second-degree vehicular homicide for her role in a collision that resulted in the death of a 22-year old man from Annandale.

Amie Marraoccelli, 41, was found guilty of 2nd Degree Vehicular Homicide by the Somerset County jury, announced Somerset County Prosecutor Geoffrey D. Soriano today. 

When the verdict was read, Marraoccelli sobbed that it was her husband, not her, at the wheel that day. "I didn’t drive the car," she said. "I promise you. I didn’t," she said through sobs in the courtroom, according to reporting by The Star Ledger posted on NJ.com.

Her husband told the newspaper his family was "devastated" by the jury's decision.

Back on October 10, 2010 at around 8 p.m., police say Marraoccelli was traveling in the left lane on Interstate 78 East in Warren, in a 2011 BMW. 

A 1998 Subaru driven by Steven E. Wall, age 22, of Annandale New Jersey, was also traveling eastbound on Interstate 78 in the center lane, police say. 

The investigation revealed that the BMW entered into the center lane of Interstate 78 and struck the Subaru in the area of the driver’s side door. As a result of the impact, the Subaru rotated across a grass embankment and impacted a tree. 

Wall ultimately died as a result of the injuries he sustained from the crash.

At the scene of the collision, New Jersey State Troopers detected an odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from defendant Marroccelli’s breath, said police.  Defendant Marroccelli was subsequently arrested for DWI.  Blood was drawn at the Somerset Medical Center and a laboratory analysis revealed the presence of ethyl alcohol in the amount of 0.087% weight by volume, according to the Prosecutor's Office.

The investigation also determined that the Marroccelli vehicle was traveling at approximately 80 mph at the time of the impact with the Subaru. The posted speed limit in the area of the collision is 65 mph.

Judge Robert Reed, J.S.C., who presided over the trial, rescinded defendant Marroccelli’s bail at the request of the State and remanded her to the Somerset County Jail pending sentencing tentatively scheduled for May 16.

The State was represented by Assistant Prosecutor Merrill Mezzacappa.