Lakewood, NJ – He was arrested previously for a violent domestic assault in Red Bank, then twice for DWI in Red Bank, each time, released by a judge, only to kill a Lakewood mother and her young daughter in deadly DWI crash in Ocean County.
Then, thanks to Phil Murphy’s sanctuary state policies and the Attorney General’s Immigrant Trust Directive, he was released shortly after destroying that young family’s future.
An illegal alien living in Red Bank is facing upgraded charges of aggravated manslaughter and strict liability vehicular homicide after a deadly crash in Lakewood left a mother and her 11-year-old daughter dead, prosecutors announced Thursday.
On July 26, just after 11:20 p.m., officers responded to the intersection of Cross Street and Hearthstone Drive for a serious motor vehicle crash. Investigators say Raul Luna-Perez, 43, was driving a Dodge Durango eastbound on Cross Street when he crossed into oncoming traffic at high speed, slamming head-on into a Nissan Sentra.
The Sentra’s driver, 42-year-old Maria Pleitez of Lakewood, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her front-seat passenger, an 11-year-old girl, was transported to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, where she died from her injuries. Another 11-year-old girl riding in the back seat was also hospitalized but survived and was later released.
Luna-Perez’s passenger was treated for minor injuries and released. First responders reported signs of impairment, and a court-authorized blood draw later revealed Luna-Perez’s blood alcohol concentration was at least .19 — more than twice the legal limit. Based on the time elapsed, prosecutors estimate his BAC was nearly three times the legal limit at the time of the crash.
Luna-Perez had already been charged on July 27 with two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of assault by auto. He was initially released on strict home detention due to bail reform laws, but later transferred to federal custody under an ICE detainer.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed Thursday that Luna-Perez was taken into custody again at the ICE detention facility in Elizabeth and returned to Ocean County Jail. He is now facing two counts of aggravated manslaughter and two counts of strict liability vehicular homicide.
Prosecutors say Luna-Perez was traveling approximately 60 mph and passed four other vehicles before crossing the double yellow line and causing the fatal collision.
He remains in custody pending a detention hearing.
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Key Points
- Raul Luna-Perez, 43, is charged with aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide in Lakewood crash
- Crash killed Maria Pleitez, 42, and her 11-year-old daughter on July 26
- Suspect’s BAC was estimated at nearly three times the legal limit at the time of the crash
