A Brooklyn man has been ordered to spend three decades in a New Jersey prison for the killing of a Hazlet taxi driver outside a Route 36 motel, closing the book on a case that stunned two states last fall.
Gaetano S. Scannavino, 26, was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in state prison for the fatal shooting of Hazlet cab driver Anthony Hill. The sentence came down in Monmouth County Superior Court from Judge Henry P. Butehorn. Hill, 42, of Eatontown, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a parking lot on Sept. 14, 2024. Scannavino had already admitted to first-degree aggravated manslaughter months earlier.
Sentence And Where The Case Stands
The 30-year term is subject to New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, a key detail that means Scannavino is expected to serve most of that time before he can even be considered for parole, according to RLS Media. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago was listed in the announcement of the sentence, which was imposed by Judge Butehorn. Prosecutors had previously told the court they would ask for a 30-year term, and that is exactly what they walked away with.
Plea Deal And Original Charges
Monmouth County officials say Scannavino pleaded guilty in December 2025 to a single count of first-degree aggravated manslaughter, according to a statement from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. Before the plea, he had been staring down a much heavier slate of accusations that included first-degree murder, first-degree carjacking and two second-degree weapons counts. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutors Joseph Cummings and Christopher Ammon, while Scannavino was represented by defense attorney Meghan J. Decker.
What Police Found At The Motel
Hazlet police were called to the Holly Hill Motel parking lot at 270 Route 36 at about 7:18 a.m. on Sept. 14, 2024, where they discovered Hill dead near a dumpster, according to local coverage and prosecutors. Reporting by the Asbury Park Press and court documents say investigators allege Scannavino pulled the cab driver from his taxi, ran him over with the vehicle, then drove off. The taxi turned up later in Brooklyn with what appeared to be bullet holes and evidence that someone had tried to set it on fire.
Arrest In Brooklyn And Court Proceedings
Scannavino was tracked down and arrested in Brooklyn on Sept. 19, 2024, by officers from the NYPD’s 61st and 62nd precincts, Monmouth County officials said. He was initially held in New York while extradition was worked out, then brought back across the river to face charges in Monmouth County Superior Court, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office. In court, prosecutors told the judge they would seek a 30-year sentence, a request that was ultimately granted.
How The No Early Release Act Plays In
New Jersey’s No Early Release Act requires anyone convicted of certain first- or second-degree violent crimes to serve at least 85 percent of their sentence before they can be eligible for parole. That statutory rule often turns a long sentence into something even closer to the full term in practical effect. The law also sets out a period of parole supervision after release in qualifying cases, with the details laid out in the state statute. In Scannavino’s case, it means he is unlikely to see a parole board until he has served the bulk of his 30-year prison term.
