LAKEWOOD, N.J. — A Red Bank man has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and assault by auto following a fatal crash late Saturday night that left a woman and an 11-year-old girl dead, authorities said.
Raul Luna-Perez, 43, was behind the wheel of a Dodge Durango that crossed into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a Nissan Sentra at the intersection of Cross Street and Hearthstone Drive around 11:20 p.m., according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office did not disclose Luna-Perez’s immigration status. He does not have an active ICE immigration detainer.
The driver of the Sentra was pronounced dead at the scene. An 11-year-old girl in the front passenger seat was taken to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, where she died from her injuries. Another 11-year-old girl riding in the back seat was hospitalized in serious but stable condition.
Luna-Perez’s two passengers sustained minor injuries and were treated and released from Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.
Responding officers reported signs of impairment in Luna-Perez, who was later transported to the hospital for a blood draw under a court-authorized warrant. The test results are still pending. He was taken to the Ocean County Jail and is awaiting a detention hearing.
The charges were announced Sunday by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, who acknowledged the coordinated efforts of local and county agencies.
“A subsequent investigation… revealed that a Dodge Durango – being operated by Luna-Perez – was traveling eastbound… when it crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic and collided head on with a Nissan Sentra,” the Prosecutor’s Office stated.
Luna-Perez remains in custody as authorities continue the investigation.
A Lakewood crash that killed a woman and child has led to vehicular homicide charges for a Red Bank man
