Man sentenced in fatal hit-and-run that killed Centenary University former first lady
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (Warren County) — A Hackettstown man has been sentenced to state prison in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a well-known local resident in 2023, authorities said.
Jefferson A. Chimbo-Pelaez, 29, was sentenced April 28 in Warren County Superior Court to six years in New Jersey State Prison after pleading guilty to second-degree death by auto, according to the Warren County Prosecutor’s Office.
Under the No Early Release Act, Chimbo-Pelaez must serve 85% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole. He will also face lifetime revocation of his driving privileges in New Jersey and three years of parole supervision upon release.
As part of the plea agreement, charges of aggravated manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, strict liability vehicular homicide and endangering an injured victim were dismissed.
The charges stem from a Jan. 7, 2023, incident on Reese Avenue in Hackettstown, where police responded to reports of an unresponsive pedestrian who had been struck by a vehicle.
Authorities said the victim, Jeanne Picariello Murphy, 70, of Hackettstown, later died from her injuries. Murphy, a retired U.S. Army colonel, was the wife of former Centenary University President Bruce Murphy and had served as the institution’s first lady.
Investigators determined that Chimbo-Pelaez struck Murphy with his vehicle while she was walking near her home. Officials said he was intoxicated at the time of the crash and fled the scene without stopping to render aid or call for assistance.
Murphy was initially transported to Hackettstown Medical Center before being flown to Morristown Medical Center, where she died the following day.
The Warren County Prosecutor’s Office credited the Hackettstown Police Department, the Warren County Major Crimes Unit and the county’s Crime Scene Team for their work on the investigation. Officials also acknowledged the support provided to the victim’s family by the Prosecutor’s Office Victim Witness Unit.
