A Red Bank man who was in the U.S. illegally has pleaded guilty in connection with a fatal Lakewood Township crash that claimed the lives of a local woman and an 11-year-old girl last year.

Raul Luna-Perez, 43, pled guilty on June 15 before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan to two counts of Aggravated Manslaughter and one count of Assault by Auto stemming from a July 26, 2025 crash at the intersection of Cross Street and Hearthstone Drive in Lakewood.

Prosecutors said they will seek a sentence of 10 years in New Jersey State Prison on each Aggravated Manslaughter charge, subject to the No Early Release Act. The two sentences are expected to run consecutively, resulting in a total of 20 years in prison. The State will also seek an additional 18-month sentence on the Assault by Auto charge, to run concurrently. Sentencing is scheduled for August 28, 2026.

According to investigators, Lakewood Police responded to the crash scene at approximately 11:20 p.m. on July 26, 2025. Authorities determined that Luna-Perez was operating a Dodge Durango eastbound on Cross Street when he crossed into the opposite lane and collided head-on with a Nissan Sentra.

The driver of the Nissan, Maria Pleitez, 42, of Lakewood, was pronounced dead at the scene. An 11-year-old girl riding in the front passenger seat was transported to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, where she later succumbed to her injuries. Another 11-year-old passenger seated in the rear of the vehicle was treated for injuries at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and later released.

Investigators said first responders observed signs of impairment from Luna-Perez at the scene. A court-authorized blood draw later revealed that his blood alcohol concentration was at least 0.19 — more than twice New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08. Authorities also found cocaine metabolites in his system, and a toxicology report concluded that he was under the influence of both alcohol and cocaine at the time of the crash.

Further investigation revealed that Luna-Perez was traveling at approximately 60 mph and crossed a double yellow line while passing four vehicles before striking the Nissan head-on.

Luna-Perez was initially charged with two counts of Vehicular Homicide and Assault by Auto and was released on strict home detention under New Jersey’s bail reform laws. After being transferred to federal custody through an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer, additional evidence led prosecutors to upgrade the charges on August 7, 2025, to two counts of Aggravated Manslaughter and two counts of Strict Liability Vehicular Homicide.

Detectives subsequently took Luna-Perez into custody at an ICE detention facility in Elizabeth and transported him to the Ocean County Jail, where he has remained detained since.

The case was investigated by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, the Lakewood Township Police Department, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office.