A Middlesex County teenager was sentenced to an aggregate sentence of 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to hitting a 60-year-old man with his pick-up truck after a dispute at a Wawa, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone announced Thursday.
Bryce Lomas, now 18, was 17 at the time of the incident in December 2023 and agreed to move the case from family court to state criminal court on April 22, authorities said. That same day, he pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide and knowingly leaving the scene of a fatal crash.
Authorities were called to a Wawa on Route 34 at 7:41 a.m. on Dec. 4, 2023 for a report of a hit and run, officials said in a press release.
Officers found Andrew Padulano, 60, of Old Bridge, who was an employee of the gas station, with serious injuries after being struck by a pick-up truck, officials said.
An investigation revealed that a Ford F-150 driven by Lomas ran over Padulano, who was standing in front of the truck following a dispute with Lomas, authorities said.
Lomas fled the scene and almost hit another vehicle before turning out of the parking lot and onto Dock Road, officials said. He was eventually arrested and charged with knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury, according to authorities.
Padulano was hospitalized for over 50 days and eventually succumbed to his injuries, authorities said. Once Padulano died, the charges against Lomas were upgraded, according to officials.
Lomas was sentenced on Oct. 17 to two consecutive five-year prison terms for the two counts he faced, authorities said. Lomas must serve 85% of a five year sentence for the vehicular homicide charge before becoming eligible for parole, and then serve another five-year-sentence for leaving the scene.
Once released, Lomas must serve three years of supervised release.
An attorney for Lomas could not be reached for comment Thursday.
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