Accused drunk NJ driver in deadly Plumsted crash surrenders to police

🔶 2-car NJ crash killed 59-year-old female driver

🔶 Other driver had booze, coke, benzos in system, cops say

🔶 NJ man surrendered 2 weeks after charges filed

A 41-year-old man was in police custody, after surrendering to authorities in connection with a deadly crash in Plumsted three months ago.

John Zinkoski, of Beachwood, went with his lawyer on Tuesday to the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office.

He had been a fugitive since Aug. 8 on charges of vehicular homicide and strict liability vehicular homicide, stemming from the death of 59-year-old Judi Smith.

🔶 Zinkoski was drunk and speeding 86 mph in crash, police say

Plumsted police responded to the area of Pinehurst Road and Long Swamp Road for a serious motor vehicle crash just before 6 p.m. on May 12.

Smith, a resident of the Browns Mills section of Pemberton, was driving a Volvo XC6 and was trying to make a right hand turn when she was struck by a Nissan Frontier driven by Zinkoski.

Smith was taken to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, where she was pronounced dead.

Zinkoski was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, treated for his injuries and released.

Laboratory results of blood drawn from Zinkoski at the hospital revealed that his blood alcohol concentration at the time of the crash was above the legal limit.

Results also showed cocaine and benzodiazepine in Zinkoski’s blood at the time of the crash.

Investigators later determined that Zinkoski was traveling at an average speed of 86 miles-per-hour at the time of the crash.

Zinkoski was being held at the Ocean County Jail, pending a detention hearing.

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