JACKSON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A Lakehurst woman has been charged with causing death while driving without a valid license following a crash that killed her ten-month-old son in Jackson Township on Saturday evening, authorities announced.
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said that Wendy Castillo-Torres, 30, was operating a vehicle in a private driveway on Grawtown Road when she struck her infant son, who was seated in a bouncer between two vehicles.
Responding officers from the Jackson Township Police Department arrived at the scene around 6:15 p.m. and found the child unresponsive with critical injuries. He was transported to Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus in Lakewood, where he was pronounced dead.
An investigation revealed that Castillo-Torres had been using a friend’s garage at the location to clean vehicles. After finishing, she attempted to move one of the cars but mistakenly shifted into drive instead of reverse, pinning the child between the two vehicles.
She immediately reversed the car and a companion called 911.
Driver did not hold valid license at time of crash
Authorities confirmed that Castillo-Torres did not have a valid driver’s license at the time of the incident. She was charged with causing death while driving without a valid license and was served with a summons pending a future court appearance.
“Our investigation indicates that this is a tragic accident,” Prosecutor Billhimer said in a statement.
The case remains under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Jackson Township Police Department, and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.