In a press release following a meeting with the family, the prosecutor's office announced it would not file criminal or motor vehicle charges against Slota, saying there are "no grounds" for such offenses.
LACEY TOWNSHIP -- Authorities will not charge a township patrolman who fatally struck a 25-year-old man with his patrol car while on-duty.
The officer, Andrew Slota, was responding to a call July 5 at the Oyster Creek nuclear plant when he hit Neil Van De Putte at around 3:25 a.m. as he crossed Lacey Road near the intersection of Deerhead Lake Road.
The incident was investigated by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office and, due to to the involvement of a Lacey officer, the Toms River Police Department.
On Thursday, Van De Putte's family had a meeting with investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office to discuss the findings of its investigation.
In a press release following the meeting, Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato announced he would not file criminal or motor vehicle charges against Slota, saying there are "no grounds" for such offenses.
These findings are consistent with those of the Toms River police investigation, which concluded in September. That report cleared Slota of any wrongdoing, but noted that, "it is not unreasonable that Officer Slota exceeded the speed limit" on Lacey Road, and that he did not have his emergency lights or sirens activated while responding to the call. Slota did have on his headlights, however.
Van De Putte was at fault because he crossed against the traffic signal, the report concluded. The prosecutor's office report noted that Van De Putte was intoxicated at the time of the incident.
Slota is still actively on patrol for the Lacey Township police, but he could face disciplinary action following an internal investigation from his own department. Lacey police Chief David A. Paprota said the department would conduct that investigation at the conclusion of the prosecutor's office's review, per state policy.
"The case has not yet been returned to Lacey from the county prosecutor, so we have not yet been able to commence with an internal investigation," Paprota said in an email on Wednesday.
The case began when a 911 call came from an Oyster Creek security guard reporting two males, who appeared to be drunk, were on the south bridge "kicking the fence and horsing around."
The Toms River investigation report and authorities say officers were on heightened alert, given it was the Fourth of July holiday weekend and the call involved a nuclear power plant.
But Slota never made it to the power plant, as he fatally struck Van De Putte as he crossed Lacey Road at around 3:25 a.m. with a friend, Max Dolphin. Slota had swerved to avoid hitting Van De Putte but could not, authorities said.
Van De Putte and Dolphin had been out visiting friends during the July Fourth weekend and opted to walk home, Dolphin told NJ Advance Media in September.
He said that he and Van De Putte had been drinking. They brought skateboards with them to a couple parties, but opted to walk home because "it was a nice night."
He said they didn't have the cue to walk across the intersection, but that the road was clear of traffic.
"I've made that walk 100 times in my life at that hour," Dolphin said. "If the road is clear, you're going to cross the intersection.
"I will not forget a certain detail from that night, as long as I live, the road was clear when we started walking," he continued. "The officers weren't in line of sight when we started walking, they appeared so quickly."
The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said it underwent an "exhaustive crash scene analysis" of the incident. That investigation included forensic analysis of crash scene evidence, documenting pre - and post-impact trajectories, examining traffic control devices and canvassing the area for surveillance footage from businesses.
Investigators also spoke to a motorist who witnessed the collision who "confirmed that Officer Slota was proceeding under the green traffic signal, and that (Van De Putte) could not be avoided," according to authorities.
Van De Putte's mother, Yvonne Yaar-Sharkey, said before Thursday's meeting that she didn't expect charges to be brought against Slota. She and Dolphin have previously said they want Van De Putte's death to bring about change.
"How do you make sense of this?" Dolphin said. "Neil's death is totally senseless. I just wish it didn't have to be meaningless."
After a 10-year-old boy was struck and killed by a patrol car in Franklin Township in Gloucester County in March, the county prosecutor, Sean Dalton, directed all police departments in the county to adopt a standardized policy regarding the use of lights and sirens when responding to calls. The officer, Nicholas Locilento, did not have his emergency lights and siren activated, and was also cleared of any wrongdoing.
Van De Putte was a physics major and math minor at Drew University in Madison. He was on his way to a promising career, his friends and professors said. Van De Putte won an esteemed award in physics and astronomy and hoped to attend graduate school at Columbia University.
In November, Drew University President MaryAnn Baenninger announced Van De Putte will receive an honorary degree posthumously at the 2016 commencement ceremony. His sister, Alyse, will walk for him in his honor.
Meanwhile, Yaar-Sharkey started a research endowment in honor of her son, "The Neil Van De Putte Fund for Excellence in Physics and Math." The fund has raised more than $22,700.
Yaar-Sharkey said Van De Putte's death is finally "starting to sink in more."
But there are still many sleepless nights, she said.
"It's really difficult," Yaar-Sharkey said. "I don't think I'll ever be the same. ... It is just really hard to swallow."
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.