JERSEY CITY, NJ – Jose Colon, 33, has been sentenced to 10 years in New Jersey State Prison for the 2021 death of Jesus Gonzalez, 30, in a drunk driving incident.
The Honorable John A. Young, Jr., J.S.C., handed down the sentence on September 8 after Colon pleaded guilty to first-degree death by auto. The charge was for driving while intoxicated within 1,000 feet of school property, a violation of New Jersey statute N.J.S.A. 2C:11-5b(3)(a). Colon entered his guilty plea on April 19.
The sentence is subject to the No Early Release Act and also includes a consecutive 10-year driver’s license suspension.
The fatal crash occurred on February 28, 2021, at about 3:30 a.m. Colon was driving a 1996 Honda Civic at high speed on Christopher Columbus Drive near Merseles Street. His vehicle struck an Attenuator-protected guard rail, resulting in the death of his passenger, Jesus Gonzalez.
The Hudson County Regional Collision Investigation Unit, in collaboration with the Jersey City Police Department, led the investigation. Assistant Prosecutor Andrew Baginski from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit represented the state.