By: Richard L. Smith
A 20-year-old Toms River woman has admitted responsibility for a 2024 crash that claimed the life of an 18-year-old passenger and injured several others.
According to a statement released by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Kailyn Gorga pleaded guilty on July 31 before Superior Court Judge David M. Fritch to vehicular homicide and assault by auto in connection with the April 14, 2024, crash.
Prosecutors said the State will seek a seven-year New Jersey State Prison sentence on the vehicular homicide conviction, subject to the No Early Release Act, along with a concurrent four-year prison term for the assault by auto conviction when Gorga is sentenced on Oct. 23.
Authorities said the crash occurred at approximately 2:50 a.m. on Lacey Road in the Whiting section of Manchester Township.
Investigators determined Gorga was driving a 2008 Mazda 3 southbound when the vehicle struck a raised median.
Police said she overcorrected, causing the car to overturn.
The vehicle was carrying five passengers. Catalina Reinoso, 18, of Brick Township, suffered critical injuries and was flown to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. She died from her injuries five days later, on April 19, 2024.
The remaining passengers were treated for injuries and later released from the hospital.
According to prosecutors, a court-authorized blood sample taken from Gorga following the crash showed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.099 percent, above New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08 percent.
Laboratory testing also detected active THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, in her system.
Gorga surrendered to Manchester Township police on May 31, 2024, in the presence of her attorney. She was processed at the Ocean County Jail and later released under New Jersey’s bail reform guidelines.