LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Raul Luna-Perez was no stranger to police or New Jersey’s courts when he drove drunk through Lakewood last summer, crossed a double yellow line at roughly 60 mph and killed a woman and an 11-year-old girl.
The 43-year-old Mexican national, identified by federal immigration authorities as being in the United States illegally, had previously been arrested in Red Bank on a domestic violence charge and twice for drunken driving. Shore News Network reported last year that Luna-Perez was released following those earlier encounters, including a DWI arrest after he nearly collided head-on with a marked police cruiser.
On Friday, Luna-Perez was sentenced to 20 years in New Jersey State Prison for the July 26, 2025 crash that killed Maria Pleitez, 42, and the 11-year-old girl riding in her Nissan Sentra.
Two Prior DWI Arrests Before Deadly Lakewood Crash
Luna-Perez’s history became a major part of the case after the fatal collision.
Federal authorities identified him as a Mexican national unlawfully present in the United States. Earlier Shore News Network reporting detailed an ICE detainer and his immigration status after the Lakewood crash.
His prior arrests included a June 25, 2023 domestic violence case in Red Bank.
Then came two DWI arrests within weeks of each other in 2025.
On March 20, Luna-Perez was arrested after striking another vehicle while attempting to park, according to court information previously presented during his detention proceedings. Police reported a blood alcohol concentration of .186.
On April 17, he was arrested for DWI again after nearly colliding head-on with a marked Red Bank police vehicle. Officers found several Modelo beer cans in his vehicle, and his BAC was reported at .16.
Luna-Perez was released after those arrests.
The sequence of arrests and releases later drew criticism from federal officials and New Jersey Republicans after the fatal crash. Questions over the case also became part of a broader political dispute over bail reform and New Jersey’s immigration policies.
Prosecutors Say Luna-Perez Passed Four Cars Before Impact
The fatal crash happened around 11:20 p.m. at Cross Street and Hearthstone Drive.
According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Luna-Perez was driving a Dodge Durango east on Cross Street when he crossed the double yellow line into opposing traffic.
Investigators determined he passed four vehicles and was accelerating at approximately 60 mph before crashing head-on into Pleitez’s Nissan Sentra.
Pleitez died at the scene.
An 11-year-old girl in the front passenger seat was rushed to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, where she died. Another 11-year-old girl sitting in the rear survived and was treated at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
Luna-Perez’s passenger suffered minor injuries.
First responders noticed signs of impairment, and investigators obtained a warrant to draw Luna-Perez’s blood.
Prosecutors said the sample showed a blood alcohol concentration of at least .19. Cocaine metabolites were also detected, and a toxicology report concluded Luna-Perez was under the influence of both substances when he crashed.
Judge Released Luna-Perez Again After Fatal Crash
Even after the deaths of Pleitez and the child, Luna-Perez did not initially remain behind bars.
He was charged July 27, 2025, with two counts of vehicular homicide and assault by auto and taken to the Ocean County Jail.
A court subsequently released him on strict home detention under New Jersey’s bail system.
ICE had lodged a detainer, however, and Luna-Perez was transferred into federal immigration custody rather than remaining free in the community. Shore News Network reported on his transfer to ICE custody after he disappeared from the county jail roster.
The case changed again as investigators received the blood test results and reconstructed Luna-Perez’s driving before the crash.
On Aug. 7, prosecutors upgraded the charges to two counts of aggravated manslaughter and two counts of strict liability vehicular homicide. Detectives then took him from the ICE facility in Elizabeth and returned him to the Ocean County Jail.
He remained jailed as the case moved forward.
Consecutive Sentences Mean 20 Years in State Prison
Luna-Perez pleaded guilty June 15 to two counts of aggravated manslaughter and assault by auto.
Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan sentenced him Friday to 10 years for each aggravated manslaughter conviction. Ryan ordered those sentences to run consecutively, resulting in a 20-year aggregate prison term.
An additional 18-month sentence for assault by auto will run concurrently.
Both aggravated manslaughter sentences fall under the No Early Release Act, requiring Luna-Perez to serve at least 85% before becoming eligible for parole.
The case was investigated by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Lakewood Township Police Department and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.
For Pleitez and the 11-year-old girl killed beside her, Friday’s sentencing closes the criminal prosecution more than a year after a driver with multiple previous arrests once again got behind the wheel intoxicated.