Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced that on September 11, 2026, Raul Luna-Perez, 43, of Red Bank, was sentenced by the Honorable Guy P. Ryan, P.J.Cr.P., to 10 years New Jersey State Prison (NJSP) relative to each of his previously entered guilty plea to two counts of Aggravated Manslaughter in connection with a motor vehicle crash that occurred in Lakewood Township on July 26, 2025. Each of these sentences will be subject to the terms of the No Early Release Act (NERA), meaning that Luna-Perez will be required to serve at least 85 percent of his prison sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility. Additionally, Judge Ryan sentenced Luna-Perez to 18 months NJSP relative to his previously entered guilty plea to Assault by Auto in connection with the same incident. The Aggravated Manslaughter sentences will run consecutive to one another; the Assault by Auto sentence will run concurrently. Luna-Perez pled guilty to all charges before Judge Ryan on June 15, 2026.
On July 26, 2025, at approximately 11:20 p.m., Officers from the Lakewood Township Police Department responded to the intersection of Cross Street and Hearthstone Drive for a report of a motor vehicle crash with serious injuries. A subsequent investigation 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, revealed that a Dodge Durango – operated by Luna-Perez and containing a passenger – was traveling eastbound on Cross Street when it crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic and collided head-on with a Nissan Sentra. The driver of the Nissan Sentra, later identified as Maria Pleitez, 42, of Lakewood, was pronounced deceased at the scene. An 11-year-old female front seat passenger was transported to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood where she succumbed to her injuries. A second 11-year-old female passenger, who was seated in the rear of the vehicle, was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) in Neptune, where she was treated for her injuries and subsequently released. The passenger of the Dodge Durango was also transported to JSUMC for treatment of minor injuries and later released.
First Responders at the scene detected that Luna-Perez showed signs of impairment. In furtherance of the investigation, Luna-Perez was transported to JSUMC where a draw of his blood was obtained pursuant to a court-authorized warrant. Luna-Perez was initially charged with two counts of Vehicular Homicide and Assault by Auto on July 27, 2025; he was transported to the Ocean County Jail but subsequently released by the Court on strict home detention as a consequence of New Jersey Bail Reform. Luna-Perez was thereafter transferred to federal custody by way of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer.
Preliminary results of Luna-Perez’s blood draw, received by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Vehicular Homicide Unit, revealed that Luna-Perez’s Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) was at least a .19 at the time of the blood draw. In the State of New Jersey, an operator of a motor vehicle is presumed to be over the legal limit for purposes of alcohol consumption where the operator’s BAC is .08 or greater. There was also a quantity of cocaine metabolites in Luna-Perez’s blood. A toxicology report opined that Luna-Perez was under the influence of both substances at the time of the crash. Additionally, further investigation revealed that Luna-Perez was accelerating at a speed of approximately 60 miles per hour at the time of the crash, and that he crossed over the double yellow line – passing four other vehicles prior to impacting the Nissan.
As a consequence of Luna-Perez’s preliminary blood draw results and continuing investigation, the charges against Luna-Perez were upgraded to two counts of Aggravated Manslaughter as well as two counts of Strict Liability Vehicular Homicide on August 7, 2025. On that same date, Detectives from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad and Lakewood Township Police Department responded to the ICE detention facility in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and Luna-Perez was taken into custody without incident. He was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he has been detained since that date.
Prosecutor Billhimer acknowledges the diligent efforts of Senior Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Burke who handled the case on behalf of the State, and commends the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Lakewood Township Police Department, Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office, for their collective assistance in connection with this investigation.