Two Jackson residents have been criminally charged in connection with a fatal single-vehicle crash in Freehold Township last month that resulted in the death of a juvenile passenger, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced Friday.
Brandon John Delgado-Ortega, 27, has been charged with third-degree Driving with a Suspended License, fourth-degree Hindering, and multiple traffic offenses. A second occupant, 28-year-old Lady Maite Cristobal Macuyama, has been charged with fourth-degree Hindering.
The crash occurred on Monday, November 10, at approximately 7:46 p.m. Freehold Township Police were dispatched to the area of Jackson Mills Road, just north of Tree Top Circle, for a report of a single-vehicle collision. Officers arriving on scene found Delgado-Ortega and Macuyama along with two juveniles who had been riding in the rear of the vehicle.
One of the juveniles sustained severe injuries and was transported to a local medical center, where he died on Thursday, November 13.
A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the Serious Collision Analysis Response Team (SCART), and Freehold Township Police determined that the vehicle, a 2004 Volvo S80, had run off the side of the roadway. Authorities initially could not determine who had been driving at the time of the crash, but subsequent investigation identified Delgado-Ortega as the driver.