Impaired driver gets 5 years for killing Roxbury pedestrian

A 29-year-old man who struck and killed a pedestrian on Route 46 in Roxbury while under the influence of Ambien and an excessive dosage of anti-anxiety medication was sentenced Friday to five years in prison.

“I’m sorry for my decision to self-medicate. I’m sorry an innocent life has been taken away through my fault,” defendant Samuel R. Generelli told Superior Court Judge James DeMarzo in Morristown.

Generelli pleaded guilty in April to one count of vehicular homicide that charged him with recklessly driving on June 3, 2014, in Roxbury and causing the death of pedestrian Chandan Arora, 28, of Roxbury. Arora was struck on a sidewalk as he walked to his job at a Route 46 gas station around 6:40 p.m.

Before sentencing Friday, Generelli pleaded guilty to the motor vehicle offense of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Under questioning by defense lawyer Thomas Calcagni, Generelli said he took an Ambien, a potent sleep pill, at 11 a.m. and then doubled his daily dosage of anti-anxiety medication during the day.

DeMarzo’s sentence calls for Generelli to serve 85 percent of the five-year term before parole consideration. His driver’s license also was revoked for 10 years. The driving under the influence charge was the underlying offense of vehicular homicide.

Calcagni told the judge that Generelli is a recovering heroin and opiate addict and had been sober for 80 days. He was especially anxious on June 3, 2014, and overdid his medication and took an Ambien because he was starting a new job that day at ShopRite in Succasunna.

Calcagni said that Generelli didn’t take the medication to “get high or get a rush” but to calm his nerves. The judge expressed skeptism, saying that Ambien is for sleep and an excess of prescribed medication would leave a driver groggy and impaired.

“When you put a pill in your mouth that becomes your responsibility,” DeMarzo said.

The victim’s father, Gulshan Arora, was in court and through an interpreter speaking Punjabi -- an Indian language -- said he is grieving for a beloved son on whom the family relied for financial support.

“He was the apple of my eye,” Gulshan Arora said. “My whole family is disturbed. The lives of the whole family are disturbed.”

Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Sahil Kabse recommended a prison sentence of five years, under which Generelli must serve 85 percent before parole consideration. Calcagni asked the judge to sentence Generelli to three years in prison. Kabse opposed a sentence lower than five years, saying that the state already took into consideration Generelli’s efforts at the time of the crash to change his life and stay sober.

“Anything less than five years I submit would truly be an injustice,” Kabse said.

Generelli has two past driving while intoxicated convictions and was on probation at the time of the crash for stealing jewelry from his in-laws to support his addiction. His mother-in-law and his wife, Cassandra Generelli, both spoke on his behalf, saying they fully support Generelli’s attempts to kick addiction because, despite dark moments, he has proven to be loving and helpful.

“We are so incredibly sorry for that loss,” a crying Cassandra Generelli said, telling the judge she is prepared to accept the sentence her husband will serve.

Right before the crash that killed Arora, Generelli struck a sign on North Frontage Road in Roxbury. When he merged back onto Route 46, he somehow accelerated his Subaru wagon, crossed into the opposite lane of traffic and hit Arora. The Subaru rolled over several times, hit a tree and caught fire.

Calcagni said that Generelli was diagnosed with a concussion at a hospital he was taken to after the crash. He opined that Generelli got a concussion after he struck the street sign on North Frontage Road which could have accounted for the fatal accident moments later. But the judge said there was no medical evidence to support that theory and opined he probably got the concussion after rolling the Subaru.

DeMarzo expressed condolences to Arora’s father and said he also sympathized with Generelli and his family.

“There is sympathy not just for the victim of Mr. Generelli but for Mr. Generelli. But sympathy is not a mitigating factor,” DeMarzo said.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com.