Edwin Ramirez-Carranza, 21, of Lakewood, has pled guilty to charges stemming from two separate incidents that occurred in Lakehurst and Lakewood over the past year.
Ramirez-Carranza entered a guilty plea to Eluding before Superior Court Judge David M. Fritch in connection with an incident on October 8, 2024, in Lakehurst. He also pleaded guilty to Aggravated Assault for a motor vehicle crash in Lakewood Township on April 19, 2025. Prosecutors said they will seek a five-year New Jersey State Prison sentence on the Eluding charge and five years subject to the No Early Release Act on the Aggravated Assault charge, with both terms to run concurrently.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Lakehurst Borough Police officers encountered a three-car crash on Route 70 in which all involved vehicles attempted to flee. Officers attempted to stop a Chevrolet Silverado operated by Ramirez-Carranza, who failed to comply with commands and continued driving. His vehicle eventually became disabled in traffic, forcing him to stop.
When officers approached, they observed signs of intoxication. Ramirez-Carranza failed field sobriety tests, and breath testing later confirmed a blood alcohol concentration above the legal limit for an underage driver. He was charged with Driving Under the Influence, taken into custody, processed at the Ocean County Jail and later released under New Jersey’s bail reform guidelines.
In the second incident, at approximately 12:10 a.m. on April 19, Lakewood Police responded to a serious crash at the intersection of New Hampshire Avenue and Cedar Bridge Avenue. Officers found a Honda Civic in the roadway and a Chevy Silverado in a drainage basin nearby. Both drivers were alone in their vehicles.
An investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit–Vehicular Homicide Squad and Lakewood Police determined that Ramirez-Carranza was traveling northbound on New Hampshire Avenue when he ran a red light and struck the Honda Civic, which was traveling eastbound through the intersection. The Civic was driven by an off-duty Lakewood police officer who had just finished his shift. He was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center with serious injuries and was later released.
Investigators later determined that Ramirez-Carranza’s Silverado had been traveling at approximately 106 miles per hour seconds before the crash.
Ramirez-Carranza was also hospitalized and subsequently charged with Aggravated Assault and multiple motor vehicle violations. After his release from the hospital on April 20, he was taken to the Ocean County Jail, where he has remained in custody.
He will return to court for sentencing in late January.