An 18-year-old Monmouth Junction woman has been charged with the fatal hit and run of a longtime South Brunswick Schools employee in June, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Raymond Hayducka, of the South Brunswick Police Department.
Through an investigation by South Brunswick Police Officer Jesse Blake and Detective Jonathan Berman, of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, authorities determined a vehicle driven by Shamantha Bolla had allegedly struck Dean Battaglia, 53, of South Brunswick, at approximately 10:31 a.m. on June 15, as he was spraying weeds at Crossroads North Middle School on Georges Road.
Battaglia succumbed to his injuries and was ultimately pronounced dead on scene, according to a press release through the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office on July 8.
Bolla was charged with one count of second-degree reckless death by auto on July 7, according to the press release.
South Brunswick Schools Superintendent Scott Feder, in a letter to the school community in June, had said Battaglia was a “beloved” member of the district and a longtime employee of the building and grounds department. He also worked as a bus driver this school year and loved his students.
Battaglia leaves behind two children, and a fiancée who has three daughters – two attend the township’s high school.
The investigation is active and continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Blake of the South Brunswick Police Department at 732-329-4000 ext. 7474 or Berman of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-4328.
