LAKEWOOD – A Red Bank man has been sentenced to 20 years in state prison for causing a head-on crash that killed a Lakewood woman and an 11-year-old girl, authorities said.
Raul Luna-Perez, 43, received consecutive 10-year sentences on two counts of aggravated manslaughter, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced. Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan also imposed a concurrent 18-month term for assault by auto.
Under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act, Luna-Perez must complete 85% of the manslaughter sentences before becoming eligible for parole. That amounts to at least 17 years behind bars.
Luna-Perez admitted guilt to the charges June 15.
Police were called to the intersection of Cross Street and Hearthstone Drive at about 11:20 p.m. July 26, 2025. Investigators determined Luna-Perez was driving a Dodge Durango east on Cross Street when he entered the opposing lane and struck a Nissan Sentra head-on.
The Sentra’s driver, 42-year-old Maria Pleitez of Lakewood, died at the scene. An 11-year-old girl riding in the front passenger seat was taken to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, where she later died.
Another 11-year-old girl in the Sentra was hospitalized at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and later released. A passenger in the Durango was treated there for minor injuries.
Authorities said emergency personnel noticed indications that Luna-Perez was impaired. A blood sample obtained through a court-approved warrant showed his blood alcohol concentration was at least 0.19%, more than twice New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08%.
Cocaine metabolites were also found in his bloodstream. A toxicology analysis concluded that Luna-Perez was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine when the collision occurred, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The investigation further determined that Luna-Perez was accelerating to approximately 60 mph and had crossed the double-yellow centerline to pass four vehicles before striking the Sentra.
Luna-Perez was initially charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and assault by auto. After being released under strict home detention, he was transferred to federal custody on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer.
Prosecutors upgraded the case in August 2025 after receiving the preliminary blood-test results and conducting additional investigative work. Luna-Perez was then returned to Ocean County, where he remained jailed while the case proceeded.
Senior Assistant Prosecutor Stephen Burke represented the state. The investigation involved the prosecutor’s Vehicular Homicide Squad, Lakewood police, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, ICE and the Ocean County Medical Examiner’s Office.
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