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OCEAN GATE — Ask anyone who remembers Patrolman Jason C. Marles and they’ll say there will never be another officer like him.

“His death has taken its toll in this department, but it has brought us all a lot closer,” said Police Chief Reece Fisher. “I see it in my guys. More frequently you see that bond with them. You value life a little bit more.”

Marles, 32, of Point Pleasant Beach, was on his way home from working a special drunken-driving detail when his Jeep was hit from behind by an intoxicated driver on the Garden State Parkway. He had been off duty for 22 minutes when his vehicle overturned and burst into flames at 3 a.m. last Thanksgiving Day.

Marles left behind two children — Landon, who was 4 when his father died, and Taryn, who was 5.

“Everyone had a whole day planned that last Thanksgiving. And he had a whole day planned to be with his children,” Fisher said.

“Buried in the back of our minds this Thanksgiving is what happened to Jay last Thanksgiving,” said Fisher. “You value life a little bit more these days. In the back of my mind, I realize every time I talk to someone, it may be the last time I speak to that person.”

Erick Uzcategui, 31, of Manchester, is charged with vehicular homicide in Marles’s death. He has pleaded not guilty.

A blood sample taken from Uzcategui after the crash revealed his blood-alcohol level was almost twice the legal limit of .08, Supervising Assistant Ocean County Prosecutor Steven N. Cucci has said at previous court proceedings.

Uzcategui had admitted to police that he ingested cocaine at a motel in Seaside Heights and drank at least five vodka cocktails prior to the crash, Cucci has said. He had four passengers in his vehicle who ran after the crash; none were charged, however, because there was no legal requirement for them to remain at the accident scene, according to Cucci.

Uzcategui, a native of Venezuela, was released from the Ocean County Jail in Toms River on Dec. 11, 2010, after surrendering his passport and posting $250,000 bond. He also has been charged with drunken driving.

If Uzcategui is convicted of vehicular homicide, he would face five to 10 years in prison.

Ocean Gate Mayor Paul Kennedy said Marles’s death shocked and saddened this community of just 2,200 residents. The borough’s police department includes just seven full-time officers, including the chief.

“In the first several weeks after his death, there was an eerie quiet at work,” Fisher said. “People were there, but it was quiet.”

“He’s still in our hearts and on the minds of our schoolchildren, the residents, fellow officers and our governing body,” Kennedy said. “Overall, the perception of Jay being gone hasn’t sunk in. We are a small town that has been in a whirlwind.”

On Jan. 1, the department swore in Ptl. Andrew Welsh of Point Pleasant Beach to fill Marles’s slot. Welsh had worked with the department on a part-time basis and was a natural choice for the job, the mayor said.

The community has embraced Marles’s memory, paying tribute to the humorous, youthful, outgoing officer with the infectious smile. A borough intersection will receive a plaque bearing Marles’s name, and a vigil is planned for later this week.

Patrolman Jay Marles Boulevard was the brainchild of sixth-graders at the Ocean Gate Elementary School, the mayor said. The name of the intersection at West Arverne and Navesink avenues won’t officially change, but Marles’s name will be added with a sign atop the pole, the mayor said.

“I don’t think there will ever be another Jay, because he was unique,’’ Kennedy said. “You could tell by the outpouring of people to the events held in his memory that Jay was a special person.”