In Morristown Superior Court, a judge maintained the $750,000.00 bail for a man accused of driving drunk and causing a deadly crash in Jefferson Township NJ.

Jersey City resident Luis E. Torres was returning from a family party in Sparta when he crashed his vehicle on Route 15 South. Three (3) people were killed in the crash. 62-year-old Lucila Colon, 36-year-old Julissa Colon, and 11-year-old Tevia Booth all died as a result of injuries sustained in the crash. At the time, Ms. Colon was five (5) months pregnant.

Five (5) other passengers in Mr. Torres’ vehicle were taken to a hospital with injuries.

Afterwards, Mr. Torres allegedly admitted to police that he was intoxicated while driving. An arrest affidavit states that Mr. Torres told police that his alcohol level was probably two times the legal limit when he crashed the vehicle.

Mr. Torres has been charged with aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide, and assault by auto.

In New Jersey, aggravated manslaughter is an extremely serious offense. The crime is addressed by N.J.S.A. 2C:11-4, which stipulates that first degree aggravated manslaughter occurs when a person recklessly causes death while manifesting extreme indifference to human life. If Mr. Torres is convicted of first degree aggravated manslaughter, he may be sentenced to as many as 30 years in state prison.

In Mr. Torres’ bail hearing in Morristown Superior Court, the judge maintained the bail because of the three (3) fatalities caused by the crash.

To learn more about this case, read the NJ.com article entitled “Judge Maintains Bail for Driver in Fatal Crash That Killed 3 Relatives.“