NJ off-duty police officer accused of DWI wrong-way crash death

⬛ NJ man accused of deadly DWI wrong-way crash
⬛ Driver was off-duty police sgt. in personal truck
⬛ Passenger in second car died at scene

An off-duty police sergeant has been accused of a drunken, wrong-way crash in Morris County that killed a passenger in a second vehicle.

Keith M. Gunther, of Wanaque, was charged with second-degree vehicular homicide and third-degree assault by auto in connection with the death of Hamid Shabuddin, a 55-year-old Paterson resident, Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll said.

The 42-year-old East Hanover Police sergeant was also ticketed for driving while intoxicated, following the Oct. 15 crash in Riverdale.

Investigators said Gunther’s Ford F-150 was traveling south in the northbound lanes of Route 23 just before 11 p.m., when the truck hit a 2005 Toyota Camry head-on.

Shabuddin, the front passenger of the Camry, was pronounced dead at the scene, where Gunther also showed signs of being under the influence, the prosecutor said.

The driver of the Toyota was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, Carroll added.

It was not immediately clear whether Gunther was suspended from the police force, following charges announced on Tuesday.

Gunther was released from custody on a series of conditions — including pretrial monitoring, surrendering his driver’s license and passport and staying away from “excessive use” of alcohol.

He was next due in court on Dec. 9.

Shabuddin and his family recently moved to New Jersey from South Africa, according to an online fundraiser for his wife and daughter, as shared by Paterson Councilman Shahin Khalique to Facebook.

The crash victim was carpooling to work for an overnight shift, the same fundraiser said.

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