"This will turn out to be nothing more than an accident," said Gonzalez, who entered a plea of not guilty for Hahn. Watch video
Scott Hahn, 36, of Hamilton, appears in court on Wednesday, Fab. 24, 2016, on the charges he rear-ended another car on the Hudson County Extension of the New Jersey Turnpike and left two people dead, on Feb. 22, 2016. (Joe Shine | For The Jersey Journal)JERSEY CITY -- The Mercer County man who is charged with killing a Bayonne man and his 5-year-old daughter admitted to police he had taken 10 Adderall pills and hadn't slept for 26 hours before the fatal crash on the New Jersey Turnpike Monday, according to a criminal complaint.
Scott Hahn, 36, of Hamilton, is charged with two counts each of aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide. When Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Michael D'Andrea told the court each count of manslaughter carries a possible 30-year sentence, Hahn -- who appeared via videolink from Hudson County jail -- shook his head.
Hahn was represented at the hearing by Frank Gonzalez, a state-appointed public defender, who pressed Hudson County Superior Court John Young to lower the $1 million bail to $200,000.
"This will turn out to be nothing more than an accident," said Gonzalez, who entered a plea of not guilty for Hahn.
Young kept the bail at $1 million, saying that Hahn was a flight risk.
D'Andrea said at the hearing Hahn was traveling between 50 and 70 mph on the Hudson County Extension of the Turnpike before the crash near the 14C toll plaza in Jersey City that killed Tim O'Donnell, 48, and his daughter, Bridget, 5, at 3:20 p.m.
The prosecuting attorney said the alleged speed of Hahn's 1998 Mercedes Benz was based on the initial crash investigation.
Adderall, which contains central nervous system stimulants, is often used to treat narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), although its use "can cause feelings of energy and invigoration, similar to the high experienced by cocaine users," according to drugabuse.com
O'Donnell and his daughter were returning to the Bayonne home from County Prep High School in Jersey City, where O'Donnell was a popular teacher and Bridget attended a daycare program.
State Police charged Hahn Tuesday afternoon as he was released from the Jersey City Medical Center-Barnabas Health. Police said Hahn rear-ended O'Donnell's Chevrolet Malibu as O'Donnell approached the 14C toll plaza.
According to the complaint, witnesses told police Hahn was driving erratically as he traveled from the Holland Tunnel to the 14C toll plaza. Hahn's vehicle was traveling "across (westbound) lanes, alternately accelerating and decelerating, sideswiped a road barrier" before it struck O'Donnell's Chevrolet Malibu from behind, the document states.
The impact of the crash propelled O'Donnell's car through the toll plaza and into the eastbound lanes, where it collided with a van, the complaint says.