Manchester Man Ordered Held In Fatal Hit-And-Run

MANCHESTER, NJ — A Manchester Township man has been ordered to remain in jail pending trial in a hit-and-run crash that killed a Whiting man on April 13.

Kevin Noonan, 62, was ordered by Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels to remain in the Ocean County Jail, where he has been since his April 13 arrest, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Tuesday.

Noonan is accused of backing his truck over Jack Gotfried, 69, of Whiting, pinning Gotfried against another truck and then driving away, Billhimer said. Gotfried suffered traumatic injuries to his lower extremities and died at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he was flown for treatment, the prosecutor said.

Noonan had been at Gotfried's Yorktowne Parkway picking up furniture that Gotfried was giving away when Noonan allegedly backed up at high speed, hitting Gotfried and pinning him against another truck, Billhimer said.

Noonan then away, leaving Gotfried injured in the road, Billhimer said. Noonan was found a short time later walking in the area of Western Boulevard in Lacey Township and arrested by a detective from the prosecutor's office. He was taken to Manchester Township Police headquarters and charged and he consented to have his blood drawn, which was performed at Community Medical Center, authorities said.

Noonan is charged with knowingly leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident resulting in death and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended driver’s license while being involved in a motor vehicle accident resulting in death, Billhimer said.

The prosecutor's office Vehicular Homicide Unit, Manchester Township Police Department's Patrol Division and Detective Bureau, and the Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit investigated the crash.

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