Suspected DUI Red Bank Driver Kills 11-Year-Old Girl, Woman In Lakewood Crash: Prosecutor
Following an incident in Lakewood that claimed the lives of a lady and an 11-year-old daughter and gravely injured another, authorities charged a Red Bank man suspected of DUI with vehicular murder.
A mother and an 11-year-old daughter were murdered in the collision, while another 11-year-old girl was gravely injured. Raul Luna-Perez is suspected of driving under the influence.
Just before 11:20 p.m. on Saturday, July 26, near the intersection of Cross Street and Hearthstone Drive in Lakewood, Raul Luna-Perez, 43, was operating a Dodge Durango when it struck a Nissan Sentra head-on, according to a statement from Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer.
According to the prosecutor, Luna-Perez was traveling east on Cross Street when his SUV veered into oncoming traffic and collided with the Nissan directly.
According to Billhimer, the Nissan Sentra’s female driver was declared dead at the site. According to the prosecution, an 11-year-old girl in the front seat was taken to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, where she passed away.
As of Sunday, July 27, a second 11-year-old girl who was sitting in the back of the Nissan was still in a serious but stable condition after being transported to the same hospital.
After receiving minor medical attention at Jersey Shore University Medical Center, two passengers in the Dodge Durango were allowed to go.
According to Billhimer, Luna-Perez displayed symptoms of impairment that the first responders on the site noticed. A court-authorized warrant was obtained to perform a blood draw. The findings are still awaiting.
Luna-Perez is being held at the Ocean County Jail while a detention hearing is scheduled. Luna-Perez was charged with two charges of vehicular homicide and assault by auto.
