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Former Corrections Officer Sentenced To 20 Years In Deadly 2017 Hit-And-Run

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A former corrections officer has been sentenced to 20 years in state prison for a deadly 2017 hit-and-run in North Bergen, New Jersey.

Forty-year-old Michael Hansen received his sentence Friday.

On April 2, 2017, Hansen struck 57-year-old Russell Maffei and 80-year-old Marie Tauro as they were crossing the street near Paterson Plan Road and Kennedy Boulevard. Hansen fled the scene. Maffei and Tauro were taken to a local hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.

Maffei was the Jersey City Republican Party chairman and Tauro was a New Jersey legislative candidate.

PREVIOUS STORY: Correction Officer Accused In North Bergen Hit-And-Run That Killed Local GOP Chairman, Assembly Candidate (4/3/2017)

Hansen was arrested on April 3, 2017. He was employed as a Hudson County corrections officer at the time.

The Hudson County prosecutor's office says Hansen pleaded guilty to two counts of death by auto on May 31 and admitted he was intoxicated at the time of the crash, which took place within 1,000 feet of a school zone.

According to the prosecutor's office, Hansen's sentence is subject to the "No Early Release Act," which means Hansen must serve at least 17 years of his 20-year sentence before he is eligible for parole.

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