Ocean County official charged in hit-and-run cover up
SEASIDE HEIGHTS — The borough's Parking Authority supervisor and school board president has been charged with hitting a bicyclist with his government-issued car and then attempting to cover it up by raiding the police evidence storage.
On the afternoon of Jan. 19, a 66-year-old township man reported to police that he had been hit by what he believed to be a township police vehicle.
The man told police that the driver confronted him after he was on the ground, called him a drunk and then agreed to "make things right," according to Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato.
The cyclist said the driver did not call for help or ask him if he needed medical treatment, prosecutors said.
Police were able to connect the vehicle involved to Todd M. Genty, who had not notified authorities about the incident, according to the prosecutor.
Genty also replaced the man's damaged bike with one from the police department's temporary evidence/property area, Coronato said.
Genty, 54, was charged with witness and evidence tampering. He is also facing several motor vehicle summonses including failure to stop, leaving the scene of an accident and failure to report an accident.
The case was turned over to the Prosecutor's Office to avoid any conflict of interest.
After surrendering to police with his attorney, Genty was released with a court summons.
His attorney, Jeffrey R. Cacces, said Thursday he is "confident that Mr. Genty will be vindicated."
"The facts as reported on the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office website [...] are riddled with errors and some of the statements are flatly false," he said.
According to state pension records, Genty has been employed for 17 years and has a salary of $90,204. According to the website for the Seaside Heights Board of Education, Genty is currently serving as the board president. The board's next meeting is scheduled for Monday afternoon.