Speeding Drunk Driver To Remain In Jail In Crash That Killed Woman, Daughter In Ocean County

LAKEWOOD, NJ — A man has agreed to be held until trial in a July drunken driving crash that killed a mother and daughter in Lakewood, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said Monday.

Raul Luna-Perez, 43, of Red Bank, consented to remain detained in the Ocean County Jail in a hearing before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan on Monday, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

Luna-Perez is charged with two counts of aggravated manslaughter and two counts of strict liability vehicular homicide in the July 26 crash that killed Maria S. Pleitez, 42, of Lakewood, and her daughter, Dayanara Cortes, 11, prosecutors have said. He also is charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, and assault by auto.

Tests on a blood sample taken from Luna-Perez the night of the crash found he had a blood alcohol concentration of nearly triple the legal limit, authorities have said.

He also was speeding at the time he hit their vehicle head-on, authorities said.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security had placed an immigration detainer on Luna-Perez on July 28 and had been initiating removal proceedings, saying he was not in the country legally. Information on how long he is believed to have been in the United States was not provided.

Luna-Perez had multiple driving under the influence charges against him, according to the statement, including two earlier in 2025. The statement also cited a "simple domestic violence" charge from 2023 among the charges in his past.

He had been taken to the ICE detention facility in Elizabeth but was returned to Ocean County to face the new charges, Billhimer said, thanking U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for cooperating in the case.

Previous coverage:

• Child, Woman Killed, 2nd Child Injured In Head-On Crash, Driver Suspected Of DUI, NJ Prosecutor
• Drunk Driver That Killed NJ Woman, Daughter Was Repeat Offender, Here Illegally, Officials Say
• Speeding Drunk Driver Nearly Triple DUI Limit In Crash That Killed Mom, Daughter, Prosecutor Says