LAKEWOOD, NJ – A 24-year-old Lakewood man has been sentenced to six years in New Jersey State Prison for a 2022 drunk driving crash that killed one woman and seriously injured another, prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Mordechai Berkowitz was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Dina M. Vicari after pleading guilty to vehicular homicide and assault by auto stemming from the July 22, 2022, collision on South Lake Drive.
Under the sentence, Berkowitz must serve at least 85 percent of his term before becoming eligible for parole, in accordance with the No Early Release Act.
Fatal crash on South Lake Drive
Investigators said Berkowitz was driving a 2018 Chevrolet Impala eastbound on South Lake Drive when he crossed the double yellow line and slammed head-on into a 2017 Toyota Rav4 near East Lake Park Drive. The Rav4 was driven by 35-year-old Maria Flores-Moreno of Jackson, with passenger Juana Lopez-Hernandez, 44, of Mexico.
Lopez-Hernandez was taken to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, where she was pronounced dead from her injuries. Flores-Moreno was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center with serious injuries, later transferred to a rehabilitation facility, and continues to recover at home.
Driver intoxicated and speeding
A toxicology report revealed Berkowitz had a blood alcohol concentration of .157 percent — nearly twice the legal limit. Further investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office determined his vehicle was traveling over 90 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone when the crash occurred.
Berkowitz was also hospitalized after the collision and later surrendered to authorities on July 27, 2022, accompanied by his attorney. He was charged and later released under New Jersey’s bail reform guidelines pending court proceedings.
Concurrent sentences imposed
Judge Vicari sentenced Berkowitz to six years in prison for vehicular homicide and four years for assault by auto, to run concurrently. The guilty pleas were entered in April 2025 as part of a negotiated agreement with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said the case underscores the devastating consequences of impaired and reckless driving, noting that one family lost a loved one and another continues to cope with lasting injuries.
