Toms River- Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on March 1, 2021, Douglas Thompson, 56, of Jackson, was sentenced to five years New Jersey State Prison as a result of a previously entered guilty plea to Death By Auto. Thompson will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility. Furthermore, Thompson’s driving privileges be suspended for life.

At the time of he was sentenced on the Death by Auto offense, Thompson pled guilty to Driving While Intoxicated and was sentenced to 180 days incarceration to run concurrent with the five-year state prison sentence.

On October 15, 2019, Toms River Township Police were dispatched to the intersection of Route 9 and Stevens Road for a report of a motor vehicle accident. Thomas Marciano, 65, of Toms River, was stopped behind a motor vehicle making a left-hand turn when he was struck from behind by a vehicle operated by Thompson. Mr. Marciano was transported to Community Medical Center and was subsequently flown to Jersey Shore Medical Center due to the severity of his injuries. Mr. Marciano ultimately succumbed to those injuries on October 28, 2019. Thompson submitted to chemical breath testing on the date of the crash, which revealed his Blood Alcohol Concentration to be .17 percent – more than double the legal limit under New Jersey law for purposes of alcohol consumption.