By: Richard L. Smith
A Red Bank man has been sentenced to two consecutive 10-year prison terms for a Lakewood crash that killed a woman and an 11-year-old girl.
According to a statement released by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, Raul Luna-Perez, 43, was sentenced September 11 by Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan following his guilty pleas to two counts of aggravated manslaughter and assault by auto.
The aggravated manslaughter sentences will run consecutively, resulting in a 20-year prison term.
Luna-Perez must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole under New Jersey’s No Early Release Act.
Authorities said the crash occurred around 11:20 p.m. on July 26, 2025, near Cross Street and Hearthstone Drive in Lakewood.
Investigators determined Luna-Perez was driving a Dodge Durango east on Cross Street when he crossed the double-yellow line and slammed head-on into a Nissan Sentra.
The Nissan’s driver, Maria Pleitez, 42, of Lakewood, was pronounced dead at the scene. An 11-year-old girl riding in the front seat was taken to a local hospital, where she later died.
A second 11-year-old girl in the Nissan was injured but survived.
Prosecutors said Luna-Perez showed signs of impairment following the crash.
Testing later determined his blood-alcohol concentration was at least .19, more than twice New Jersey’s .08 legal limit, and cocaine metabolites were also detected in his system.
The investigation further determined Luna-Perez was accelerating at approximately 60 mph and had passed four vehicles before crossing into the opposite lane and striking the Nissan.
Luna-Perez pleaded guilty to the charges in June and has remained jailed since August 2025.