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Keith Gunther, 42, of Wanaque, and a sergeant with the East Hanover Police Department, was behind the wheel of the Ford F-150 that was traveling south in the northbound lanes when it struck a 2005 Toyota Camry, headed north, head-on just before 11 p.m. in Riverdale on Tuesday, Oct. 15, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll said.
Hamid Shabuddin, a passenger in the Toyota, was killed as a result of the crash.
Shabuddin had recently moved to the U.S. from South Africa in search of a better life for his family, according to a LaunchGood campaign for his family. He’d been carpooling on his way to work for a night shift with a co-worker at the time of the crash, the campaign said.
Gunther was charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and third-degree assault by auto. He was also issued a summons for DUI.
Gunther was released from custody on a series of non-monetary bail conditions including Pretrial Monitoring (Level III), surrender of his driver’s license and passport, and to refrain from excessive use of alcohol.
The next scheduled court appearance will be a Pre-Indictment Conference on Dec. 9, 2024.
Members of the Riverdale Police Department, Pequannock Police Department, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit participated in this investigation.
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