LAKEWOOD, NJ — A Red Bank man charged in a drunk driving crash that killed a woman and an 11-year-old girl and seriously injured another child is in the United States illegally, according to federal immigration records.
That information was withheld by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office in their press release this weekend, but records obtained by Shore News Network confirm that the driver has an active ICE immigration detainer.
Raul Luna-Perez, 43, is being held at the Ocean County Jail after prosecutors charged him Sunday with two counts of vehicular homicide and assault by auto in connection with the July 26 crash in Lakewood. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer request, reinforcing that he is an undocumented immigrant.
The deadly crash occurred around 11:20 p.m. at the intersection of Cross Street and Hearthstone Drive, where prosecutors say Luna-Perez was driving a Dodge Durango eastbound when he veered into oncoming traffic and struck a Nissan Sentra head-on.
The driver of the Sentra, a Lakewood woman, was pronounced dead at the scene. An 11-year-old girl riding in the front passenger seat was rushed to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, where she was pronounced dead. Another 11-year-old girl in the back seat remains hospitalized in serious but stable condition.
Two passengers in the Durango were treated for minor injuries and released.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, responding officers observed signs of impairment from Luna-Perez at the scene. A court-authorized blood draw was conducted at the hospital, and toxicology results are pending.
Despite confirming the ICE detainer, Ocean County officials have not commented publicly on Luna-Perez’s immigration status. Under New Jersey Attorney General directives, county prosecutors are restricted from disclosing such information.
Shore News Network contacted the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office for the suspect’s country of origin, but no further details were released. The office never responded to our request for information.
Luna-Perez is being held pending a detention hearing.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Lakewood Police, and the Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit assisted in the investigation.