A 20-year-old Lakewood resident has been charged with Aggravated Assault following a high-speed crash that left off-duty Lakewood Police Officer Matthew McAvoy critically injured.
The crash occurred shortly after midnight on Saturday, April 19, at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and Cedar Bridge Avenue in Lakewood. According to investigators, Edwin Ramirez-Carranza was driving a Chevy Silverado northbound on New Hampshire Avenue when he ran a red light at high speed and slammed into a Honda Civic driven by Officer McAvoy, who had just completed his shift and was heading home.
Responding officers found the Silverado overturned in a drainage basin and the Civic severely damaged on the roadway. Both drivers were alone in their respective vehicles. Officer McAvoy was rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he remains in critical condition.
Ramirez-Carranza was also transported to the same hospital for treatment and was later released. He was immediately taken into custody and transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he is being held pending a detention hearing.
Investigators from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad and the Lakewood Township Police Department determined that the Silverado was traveling at approximately 106 miles per hour just seconds before the crash. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed marijuana, and blood was drawn from Ramirez-Carranza pursuant to a court-authorized warrant to assess impairment.
In addition to the Aggravated Assault charge, Ramirez-Carranza faces numerous motor vehicle violations, including Careless and Reckless Driving, Speeding, Failure to Observe a Traffic Signal, and multiple infractions related to his probationary driver’s license. Authorities also cited him for operating an unregistered vehicle and possessing an unsealed container of cannabis in a motor vehicle.