Fatal Hit-and-Run in Seaside Heights: Charges Upgraded Following Death
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November 6, 2024Fatal Hit-and-Run in Seaside Heights: Charges Upgraded Following Death
Genell Mcinaw, 50, of Seaside Park,
Fatal Hit-and-Run in Seaside Heights: Charges Upgraded Following Death
According to the Ocean County Prosecutors Office, new charges have been filed against a Seaside Park woman in a September hit-and-run after the victim, a popular restaurant owner and fishing icon, died of his injuries. Robert "Bob" Popovics, 75, died Friday of the injuries he suffered in the Sept. 23 incident, his family said.
According to Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, Genell A. Mcinaw, 50, has been charged with vehicular homicide, strict liability vehicular homicide, and deliberately fleeing the scene of a motor vehicle collision that resulted in death.
Mcinaw brought herself in at Seaside Heights Police Headquarters on Tuesday with her lawyer by her side, according to authorities, who claimed the fresh charges were filed on Monday. A detention hearing is underway as she is being held at the Ocean County Jail in Toms River.
After authorities followed Mcinaw to her residence in the hours following the collision, she was first taken into custody early on September 24 on suspicion of willfully fleeing the scene of a car accident that caused significant injuries. According to Billhimer, she was freed in accordance with New Jersey's bail reform regulations.
Around 9:30 p.m. on September 23, Seaside Heights police discovered Popovics unconscious and gravely hurt on the Boulevard in front of Klee's Bar and Grill. He was transported by air to Neptune's Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he stayed until his passing.After examining camera footage from Klee's and Hooks Bar and Grill, where she had been consuming alcohol just prior to the collision, officials concluded that Mcinaw had struck him, according to the authorities.
According to the probable cause affidavit submitted in the case, Mcinaw later informed investigators that she had been drinking at two other restaurants earlier in the day. The evidence indicated that she had ordered four drinks at Hooks in a 36-minute period.According to Billhimer, Mcinaw's blood alcohol content was.187 when her blood was extracted at 12:45 a.m. on September 24 under a court-authorized order. For purposes of alcohol consumption, a motorist in New Jersey "is presumed to be over the legal limit where the operator’s BAC is.08 or greater," according to Billhimer.
Popovics was the owner of Bayville's Shady Rest Restaurant. His passing and injuries led to a wave of condolences for his family and a reminder of how much he meant to many.
