CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — The man who was behind the wheel during a car crash that killed Lower Merion High School principal Sean Hughes will not serve any jail time.
Azuka Ossai ran a stop sign in Winslow Township, New Jersey in November 2021, striking the vehicle driven by Hughes. He died at the hospital.
As part of a plea deal, 55-year-old Ossai will serve 90 days of house arrest and 30 days of community service, which he has already begun. He will also be on probation for five years.
Judge Yolanda Rodriguez upheld the deal, noting that Ossai worked as a health aide and had no criminal history. The judge called it a careless mistake and said Ossai is not likely to commit any more crimes.
Speaking in the courtroom Thursday, Kristi Hughes said she must now go through life without her husband, who she called her better half. Her children lost a father and the school community lost a dedicated administrator who touched thousands of lives.
She said her husband was a brilliant man who had so much more to give to the world.
“You took a life with limitless potential and value,” she told Ossai. “All men are not created equal. You carelessly took a life that far exceeds your worth.”
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Ossai said there are no words to express his grief and sorrow, nor is there anything he can do to change what happened. He is also ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution to the Hughes family.