A 21-year-old Old Bridge man has been sentenced to five years in state prison for a July 2023 drunken crash that left a Sayreville woman dead.

James Cannici was sentenced June 14 by Middlesex County Superior Court Judge Craig Corson to five years subject to the No Early Release Act, which means he will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence before being eligible for parole, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone said.

Cannici also was sentenced to three years of parole supervision upon his release from prison and will have his New Jersey driving privileges suspended for five years.

On Feb. 2, 2024, Cannici pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide, a second-degree crime, assault by auto, a third-degree crime, assault by auto, a fourth-degree crime, and driving while intoxicated.

Around 11:17 p.m. July 16, 2023, police were notified about a crash in the area of Route 18 and Ferris Road in Old Bridge where arriving officers found a three-vehicle crash.

Florence Akoma, 45, of Sayreville, a passenger in a Honda Accord involved in the crash, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of that Honda Accord suffered serious injuries and was taken to the hospital, while the driver of another vehicle suffered minor injuries, according to the prosecutor’s office.

An initial investigation by Old Bridge Detective Dan Haviland and Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office Detective James Alleva indicated a Nissan Rogue driven by Cannici, apparently turned left from Ferris Road onto the wrong side of Route 18 and struck the Honda Accord and another vehicle.

Cannici was arrested at the scene and charged with driving while intoxicated and later also charged with aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide, aggravated assault and assault by auto.

Email: srussell@gannettnj.com

Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Old Bridge NJ man sentenced for Route 18 fatal DWI crash