Hoffman Sentenced in Death of Trooper Castellano

The woman who pleaded guilty to charges relating to the death of New Jersey State Trooper Marc Castellano was sentenced on Friday to 15 years in prison, just over two years after the accident that took Castellano's life.

Diana Hoffman, 30, of Blackwood pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree eluding, one count of first-degree false public alarm as well as reckless driving and speeding. Her sentence requires a five-year period of parole ineligibility. 

According to a release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, on June 6, 2010, Hoffman was stopped on the shoulder of the northbound lane of the Garden State Parkway near the border of Ocean and Monmouth counties. She she was approached by a state trooper before speeding away, eventually getting to speeds over 100 mph. 

After exiting at Exit 98 she continued at a high speed and ran a red light, at which point the state police stopped their pursuit. Hoffman was later spotted in Freehold by an officer from the Howell Police Department and a member of the state police before once again driving away. She was then seen again on 195 in Howell by an off-duty trooper who again tried to approach her.

This time, the prosecutor's office said, she fled on foot into the nearby woods before being arrested by state troopers and members of the Howell Police Department. At that time Hoffman falsely claimed to have been carjacked at gunpoint and gave the description and a name of the alleged gunman. 

Trooper Castellano was, at the time, taking part in a training exercise at the Freehold Raceway Mall when he was dispatched to help in the search of the woods near 195. It was during the search that he was struck by a car, according to the prosecutor's office. After being hit he was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center where he eventually died. 

On April 29 of this year Hoffman was sentenced to seven years in prison with a 3.5-year parole ineligibility for a separate eluding charge in Burlington County, according to the prosecutor's office. The statement continues that the eluding and false public alarm sentence will run concurrent with each other, consecutive to the Burlington County sentence. Hoffman's license was also suspended for a year each for the speeding and reckless driving charges. 

In addition to the state police and the Howell Police Department, several other organizations were involved in Hoffman's eventual arrest. The prosecutor's office also credited the Wall Township Police Department, the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office and the Monmouth County Emergency Response team. The prosecution of the case was handled by First Assistant Prosecutor Richard E. Incremona and Assistant Prosecutor Marc C. LeMieux.