An illegal alien who was responsible for a head-on collision that killed a New Jersey mother and her 11-year-old daughter in July had three times the legal amount of alcohol in his system, according to law enforcement.
Mexican national Raul Luna-Perez, 43, has a history of DUIs and domestic violence that should have gotten him deported long before the tragic, and preventable, crash in Lakewood on July 26.
Luna-Perez had already been arrested for driving under the influence in both March and April. He was also arrested for domestic violence in 2023.
The New York Post reports:
Luna-Perez, 43, was driving more than 60 miles an hour down a residential street in Lakewood when his Dodge Durango rammed into 42-year-old Maria Pleitez’s Nissan Sentra, killing her in an instant, investigators said this week.
Maria’s daughter, Dayanara Cortes, 11, died moments after arriving at a nearby hospital.
The mother and daughter were on their way to Wawa for milkshakes when they were struck, Pleitez’s niece, Maria del Carmen Pleitez, 39, told The Post.
Dayanara’s friend, also an 11-year-old girl, was in the car with them but survived. She has not been identified by police.
Another woman who was in the vehicle with Luna-Perez survived.
It is unclear when Luna-Perez entered the United States, but he has been living in Red Bank, New Jersey, since 2023, according to The Post’s report.
Luna-Perez has now been charged with two counts of aggravated manslaughter and two counts of strict liability vehicular homicide. He was in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, but was returned to county jail after his charges were upgraded last week.
“Thanks to the cooperation of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Luna-Perez has been returned to Ocean County to face these upgraded charges,” prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said in a statement.
“His return sends a clear message that our federal partners share in our mission to hold those individuals that commit serious crimes accountable — regardless of their immigration status.”
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