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According to the county Prosecutor's Office, George L. Rodriguez, 68, of Bedminster, was driving north on Routes 202/206 toward the intersection with River Road just before 7 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2020.
Investigators said Rodriguez turned left into the intersection instead of taking the designated "jug handle" turning lane and slammed into a compact sedan head-on at 50 miles per hour.
The other driver, 65-year-old Michael Sivulich of Bedminster, was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital shortly after the crash, officials wrote.
At the scene, Rodriguez told police he was "going the wrong way, apparently," the Prosecutor's Office says. Evidence logged in his car's computer showed that he did not apply his brakes or try to avoid Sivulich's sedan, they added.
Later investigation determined Rodriguez had his license suspended in 2012 due to "multiple prior convictions" for drinking while intoxicated, authorities said.
Police also found that the 68-year-old had fraudulently registered his vehicle and purchased an insurance policy under a friend's name and address after his license was suspended.
Rodriguez was convicted of second-degree death by auto, third-degree driving while suspended and causing death, third-degree insurance fraud, and related counts.
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