Ocean County Tragedy: Prosecutor Reveals Driver Was Under the Influence

Ocean County Tragedy: Prosecutor Reveals Driver Was Under the Influence

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office announced on Tuesday that a certified nursing assistant from Freehold was killed in a crash on Route 9 in March by a man from Manchester Township who was inebriated.

In the March 7 collision that claimed the life of Shamirah Nolan, 37, Daniel T. Cormier, 31, has been charged with both vehicular murder and strict responsibility vehicular homicide, according to prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.

Just after 11 p.m., Nolan, a mother of three and certified nursing assistant, was traveling north on Route 9 to work at Complete Care of Bey Lea when Cormier struck her Honda Accord head-on, according to the authorities.

According to officials, Cormier was traveling south on Route 9 when his Volkswagen Jetta swerved off the road, struck a railing, and then collided with Nolan's Honda close to Whitty Road.

According to the prosecutor's office, Nolan was brought to Community Medical Center in Toms River, where she was declared deceased.

With non-life-threatening injuries, Cormier was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune before being discharged.

According to the prosecutor's office, Cormier's blood was taken at the hospital under a search warrant after Toms River police officers responding to the collision noticed that he seemed to be intoxicated.

His blood alcohol content was 0.09 percent, according to lab results the prosecutor's office received on Monday.

Additionally, the tests revealed that Cormier had hydrocodone and gabapentin in his system, "rendering him unfit to operate a motor vehicle," according to the prosecutor's office.

On Monday, Cormier turned himself in at the Toms River Police Headquarters. He was then transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is being detained until a detention hearing.