MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll, Chief of Detectives Robert McNally, and Riverdale Police Chief Charles Quant confirmed that Keith M. Gunther, 42, of Wanaque, has been sentenced in connection with a fatal head-on collision that occurred on October 15, 2024, on Route 23 North in Riverdale.
On April 8, 2025, Gunther pleaded guilty before Judge Stephen Taylor to the following charges:
- Second-degree Reckless Vehicular Homicide
- Third-degree Assault by Auto
- Driving Under the Influence
On June 17, Judge Taylor sentenced Gunther to five years in New Jersey State Prison. Under the No Early Release Act, he must serve 85% of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
At the time of the crash, Gunther was a sergeant with the East Hanover Police Department, though he was off duty during the incident. He is no longer employed by the department.
The crash resulted in the death of Hamid Shabuddin, 55, of Paterson, who was a passenger in the sedan struck by Gunther’s pickup truck.
Shabuddin, a recent immigrant from South Africa, was a married father of a teenage daughter.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office prosecuted the case, with assistance from the Riverdale Police Department and Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.
