Man ordered held for allegedly fleeing drunken crash, spitting on officers

A man who was allegedly drunk and fled a crash in Egg Harbor Township will stay jailed.

Ryan Marsh, 33, is accused of crashing into a vehicle driven by his girlfriend, assaulting the man inside and then fleeing the crash.

Police said Marsh intentionally crossed into oncoming traffic before the head-on crash with Angie Cruz at about 8: 45 p.m. July 4.

Marsh's license was suspended at the time.

He believed his license suspension was over at the time, and left the scene briefly to check on children at a nearby residence, defense attorney Lauren Musarra said.

"My kids were playing on the end of the street when the accident happened," Marsh told the judge.

He was found about 200 yards from the scene and was initially uncooperative, according to the affidavit of probable cause obtained by BreakingAC.

Marsh walked back to the scene, "where his behavior was continually erratic," the affidavit reads.

He later tried to spit on an officer while at the police station, Officer Nathan Lahr wrote in the affidavit.

Cruz, who is a township resident, had lacerations to her face, along with fluid in her abdomen and pelvis area, requiring her to stay at the hospital overnight.

The unnamed passenger had a fractured hip that required emergency surgery, Assistant Prosecutor Paige Cramer said.

As the injuries were discussed, Marsh could be seen holding up his wrist from the jail booth where he appeared in court virtually. He was muted at the time.

The judge later allowed him to speak.

"Your client has been very animated if not agitated during this entire proceeding," Judge Dorothy Garrabrant told Musarra.

Marsh said that he was sorry for the crash, and indicated that he was injured as well. He also told the judge that he suffers from depression and schizophrenia.

But the judge pointed to an 18-year criminal history that prior sentences that "did nothing to rehabilitate or deter him."

She also noted that he "has a penchant for resolving domestic disputes with violence."

Marsh was on supervision at the time of the crash, showing "he's not amenable to supervision," she added.

He will now stay jailed until his case is resolved.

Police listed Marsh as a Buena Vista Township resident when the arrest was originally released. But the affidavit gives a Vineland address.