TOMS RIVER, NJ – Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced on Monday that Ashley Beams, 32, of Toms River Township, pled guilty to Vehicular Homicide.
The plea is in connection with a fatal car crash that occurred on February 8, 2022, in Toms River, which resulted in the death of James Cruz, 62, of Old Bridge Township’s Parlin section.
The Toms River Township Police Department officers who responded to the crash on Bay Avenue found that Cruz had been struck by a car driven by Beams. An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit, Toms River Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit revealed Beams failed to maintain her lane of travel, striking Cruz, who was fetching a package from his car’s trunk.
Cruz was pronounced deceased at the scene. Meanwhile, Beams was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment of injuries sustained in the crash. Her Blood Alcohol Concentration at the time of the collision was well over the legal limit. Beams was arrested at her residence by detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit on February 16, 2022.
Beams is set to be sentenced on September 15. The State is seeking a six-year term in New Jersey State Prison, subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act.