FREEHOLD, N.J. — A Florida man has been indicted on vehicular manslaughter charges in connection with a 2022 multi-vehicle crash in Howell that killed a 50-year-old driver, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Wednesday.
Drew Peterson, 34, formerly of Jackson Township, New Jersey, and now residing in Jensen Beach, Florida, faces a second-degree vehicular manslaughter charge following the March 11, 2022, collision. A forensic toxicologist’s analysis was central to the investigation, culminating in the October 30 indictment. Peterson was processed in New Jersey on November 18.
The crash occurred shortly after midnight on Route 33, west of the Colts Neck Road intersection. Peterson, driving a 2004 Ford F150 pickup, reportedly crossed the centerline into oncoming traffic, sideswiping a 2004 Kia Rio before striking a 2010 Dodge Challenger in an offset head-on collision. The impact caused Peterson’s truck to overturn, ejecting him from the vehicle.
The driver of the Dodge Challenger, Robert C. Johnson, of Neptune Township, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Kia Rio was not injured.
The case is being handled by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Luciano of the Major Crimes Bureau. Peterson is represented by Mitchell J. Ansell, Esq., of Ocean Township.