Sparta man pleads guilty in fatal crash that killed local woman, faces prison

A Sparta man is facing several years in prison after he admitted Wednesday he was speeding while under the influence of alcohol when his sports car struck an SUV in January 2022, killing a township married mother of two who nursed the sick during the COVID pandemic.

Attila Princz, 42, admitted he drank five sangrias at a Lake Hopatcong restaurant before he lost control of his BMW sedan around a curve on Route 181, also known as Woodport Road, in Sparta and hit a Hyundai Tucson head-on. The impact caused the death of the 41-year-old SUV driver, Erin Moore.

Princz pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide, a second-degree crime, and driving while intoxicated, his first offense, during an in-person hearing before state Superior Court Judge Michael Gaus in Sussex County.

Prosecutors at sentencing will recommend an eight-year prison sentence, requiring he serve 85%, or roughly six years and 10 months, before he is eligible for release on parole. Charles Clark, Princz's attorney, will argue a lesser sentence of five years in prison with the 85% mandatory stipulation, a prison term closer to four years and three months.

For subscribersThis Morris County Dunkin' is the latest in North Jersey sued over hot coffee burns

When questioned by his attorney during Wednesday's hearing, Princz, who did not show a hint of emotion, admitted around 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 30, 2022 he was driving 67 mph, about 30 mph over the speed limit, near Signal Hill Trail when he crossed over the double-yellow lines in his BMW 540i sedan and struck Moore's vehicle. His actions were reckless because he was speeding and his blood alcohol content was .163%, over the legal limit of .08%, he said. His blood was tested three hours after the crash, prosecutors said.

Initial police reports indicated Princz's BAC levels were over three times the legal limit, but Princz had contested in his initial court hearing that he had consumed three sangrias; staff at the Chapala Grill, a Mexican restaurant where Princz had appetizers and lunch for several hours with his fiancé, said he had consumed seven drinks. The conflicting BAC levels, however, did not alter the severity of Princz's charges.

Princz's sentencing for the vehicular homicide charge will take place in late March, weeks after he is due to get married, but he was sentenced on the driving while intoxicated charge on Wednesday. His attorney requested the minimum license suspension, stating that the incident appeared to be an anomaly in Princz's otherwise clean driving record.

Gaus sentenced Princz on the lower end of the statute for a first offender with a BAC of over .15%: A four-month loss of license and an interlock device during the suspension plus an additional nine months with the interlock installed. He will have to attend a 12-hour class at an Intoxicated Driver Resource Program.

Princz' fiancée was present in the courtroom Wednesday, seated several benches away from Moore's husband. Both cried throughout the hearing.

Moore's husband, Eddie, had tried to save his wife by performing CPR after he got stuck in the crash traffic and stepped out of his car to help, not knowing until he came upon the scene his wife had been involved, according to a lawsuit he filed in May 2022. Despite his efforts, Erin Moore died at Newton Medical Center roughly an hour after the crash was reported.

CourtsJudge tosses lawsuit by former Sussex counsel claiming he doesn't count as whistleblower

A widow raising the couple's two young girls, Eddie Moore is seeking justice against Princz, Chapala Grill and its owners and BMW of North America, a Bergen County-based company where Princz held a job as a claims manager. Moore said Princz was on-duty and driving a car registered to his business at the time of the crash, but an attorney representing BMW only confirmed the vehicle was "owned" by the company and declined Princz was on-duty, according to records filed in court.

The suit is still pending in state Superior Court in Sussex County.

Erin Moore worked as an EMT, paramedic and emergency room nurse in New York City throughout the COVID pandemic, according to her obituary. She eventually joined the labor and delivery team and was pursuing additional schooling with the goal of becoming a midwife.

Other motor vehicle violations against Princz, including having an open container of alcohol in his vehicle — police initially said he had a "to-go" pitcher of sangria in his car — and reckless and careless driving were dismissed as part of the plea.

Lori Comstock can be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.

This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Sparta NJ fatal crash: Driver pleads guilty, faces prison