NJ driver, 18, accused in South Brunswick man’s death outside school

SOUTH BRUNSWICK — A young woman has been accused of striking and killing a man while he was working outside a school in June.

On Thursday, 18-year-old Shamantha Bolla, of the Monmouth Junction section, was charged with second-degree reckless death by auto.

Dean Battaglia, 53, was outside the Crossroads Middle School on Georges Road around 10:30 a.m. on June 15 when he was struck by a vehicle, police previously said.

Battaglia — who grew up in Edison and was recently a South Brunswick resident — was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bolla "failed to maintain her lane of travel and struck him in the shoulder of the roadway," according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone's office.

South Brunswick Schools Superintendent Scott Feder previously said that Battaglia was a "beloved" member of the district as a long-time school maintenance worker.

He also drove buses for various school sports teams and for elementary students during the school year, according to his obituary, in addition to owning a landscaping company.

Battaglia is survived by a son, daughter and fiancé, who also has three daughters, as well as other relatives.

A GoFundMe campaign set up to benefit his children had raised close to $50,000 as of Friday.

Anyone with information on the case can contact Officer Blake of the South Brunswick Police Department at 732-329-4000 x7474 or Detective Berman of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-4328.

Erin Vogt is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at erin.vogt@townsquaremedia.com

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