MATAWAN, N.J. (1010 WINS) — An 18-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years in state prison for a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a 60-year-old Wawa employee last year.
Bryce Lomas was sentenced Oct. 17 to five years in state prison on a vehicular homicide charge, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone announced.
Lomas must service 85 percent of that sentenced before becoming eligible for parole. He also was sentenced to a consecutive five-year prison term for knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death.
Both sentences must run consecutive to each other. After being released, Lomas will be on parole supervision for three years.
At around 7:41 a.m. Dec. 4, 2023, Old Bridge police responded to reports of a pedestrian struck at the Wawa located on Route 34 in Matawan.
Upon arrival, officers found 61-year-old Andrew Padulano with serious injuries. He was was rushed to a local hospital for treatment.
An investigation revealed that Padulano, a Wawa employee, had been struck by a Ford F-150 driven by Lomas following an altercation between the two, prosecutors said.
Lomas then fled the scene.
Padulano remained hospitalized in critical condition and died from his injuries on Jan. 23.
Lomas was 17 at the time of the incident in December 2023 and initially charged as a juvenile. On April 22, he agreed to voluntarily transfer his case from Family Court to the Criminal Division of the Superior Court for prosecution as an adult. He also pled guilty to vehicular homicide and knowingly leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle crash.