Texting teen gets five years in fatal N.J. crash

A New Jersey teen has been sentenced to five years in prison for a fatal accident that occurred after he had been drinking beer at a party and was texting while driving.

Eighteen-year-old Samuel Oltmans of Montgomery will have to serve at least four years of the sentence handed down Friday in Somerset County.

He had pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide.

Oltmans was 17 when he the crash occurred Dec. 22, 2012, on Route 206 in Montgomery. His car crossed a double-yellow line and collided head-on with a car driven by a 61-year-old teacher, Laurie O’Neil of South Brunswick. She died at the scene.

Based on his blood-alcohol level four hours after crash, investigators believe he was drunk at the time of the accident. As a minor he was prohibited from consuming any alcohol.