Story by Ethan
On January 24th, 2026, the arrest of Jamie Doyle, age 40, was announced by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer. Jamie Doyle was charged with Aggravated Manslaughter and Vehicular Homicide. The arrest and charges against Jamie Doyle were a result of an investigation handled by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Toms River Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, at approximately 8:50 p.m. on January 23rd, 2026, a motor vehicle crash was reported on the intersection of Romana Lane and Route 37 West. Officers from the Toms River Township Police Department responded to the scene to discover a white Nissan Maxima and a red Chevrolet Trax both sustaining severe damage. The victim, 76-year-old Ronald Butcher, was operating the red Chevrolet Trax and had to be extricated out of the damaged vehicle. Ronald Butcher was suffering from severe injuries as life-saving measures were taken, however the aid rendered was unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Jamie Doyle was operating the white Nissan Maxima and following the collision he was observed to have constricted pupils, irregular slurred speech, and erratic behavior. The defendant was transported to Community Medical Center in Toms River, New Jersey, to be treated for a broken femur and head injuries.
A joint investigation was launched that revealed the white Nissan Maxima was traveling westbound on Route 37 while the red Chevrolet Trax was heading southbound on Romana Lane attempting to cross the Route 37 intersection. The Chevrolet had the right of way when the Nissan collided with it on the driver’s side head on alongside intrusion to the passenger side compartment. Witnesses reported seeing the Nissan driving in a sporadic manner, ignoring several traffic signs and swerving before the crash occurred. It was revealed that while Jamie Doyle was operating the Nissan his driver’s license was suspended. A blood draw was taken from the defendant with the results still unknown at this time.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office stated that the charges against Jamie Doyle are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
