BRICK — A Toms River man has been charged in connection with a crash involving an electric scooter earlier this year that left a rider injured, authorities said.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that Lloyd Ferrara, 30, was charged March 31 with assault by auto stemming from a Jan. 15 collision in Brick Township.
Police responded around 10:15 p.m. to the intersection of Route 88 and Jack Martin Boulevard for a reported crash involving a pickup truck and an electric scooter. An investigation found that Ferrara, driving a 1988 Ford pickup westbound on Route 88, attempted to turn right into a convenience store parking lot and failed to yield to an eastbound scooter, resulting in a head-on crash, officials said.
The 40-year-old scooter operator was thrown from the vehicle and dragged a short distance beneath the truck. He was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment and later released.
Officers at the scene observed signs of impairment and attempted to conduct field sobriety tests, which Ferrara was unable to complete, authorities said. He was charged with driving under the influence and arrested. A blood sample was later obtained at Ocean University Medical Center in Brick under a court-approved warrant.
Investigators also determined Ferrara was driving with a suspended license and that the truck displayed fictitious license plates. He was additionally charged with operating a vehicle with a suspended license while involved in a crash causing serious bodily injury. He was lodged in the Ocean County Jail and later released under New Jersey’s bail reform guidelines.
Recent lab results showed Ferrara had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.247%, well above the state’s legal limit of 0.08%, prosecutors said. Tests also detected marijuana in his system, and authorities concluded he was unfit to drive at the time of the crash.
Ferrara surrendered to Brick Township police headquarters on March 31 and was served with the assault by auto charge via summons. He is scheduled to appear in Ocean County Superior Court.
Billhimer credited the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit, Brick Township Police Department and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit for their work on the case.
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