Crime & Safety
Man Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison For Fatal North Brunswick Crash
According to authorities Manuel Centeno-Rodriguez, 18, was unlicensed at the time of the crash that killed one person.
SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — A North Brunswick man was sentenced to three years in prison in connection with a fatal crash that occurred on Dec. 19, 2023, authorities said Monday.
On March 18, Manuel Centeno-Rodriguez, 18, pled guilty to second-degree Vehicular Homicide and two counts of fourth-degree Assault by Auto. He was sentenced on May 3 to three years in New Jersey State Prison subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA).
This means Centeno-Rodriguez will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence without parole, concurrent to 12 months in prison for each of the Assault by Auto offenses. He will be on parole supervision for three years upon his release, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Joesph Battaglia of the North Brunswick Police Department said.
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On Dec. 19, 2023, around 6:32 a.m. authorities responded to the area of Route 130 and Renaissance Boulevard following the report of a
On arrival, authorities found a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado that crashed into a Volkswagen Golf. As a result of the crash Silverio Castro-Martinez, 69, of New Brunswick, succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Ciccone said.
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An investigation was conducted by Officer William Bonura of the North Brunswick Police Department, and Detective Matthew Colonna of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, which determined that Centeno-Rodriguez, who was unlicensed, was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado when he rear-ended the Volkswagen Golf, which was stopped in traffic.
The impact of the crash caused the Volkswagen Golf to hit an Acura RDX that was stopped in front of them, killing Castro-Martinez, the rear driver-side passenger of the Volkswagen Golf.
Two of the occupants of the Volkswagen Golf sustained serious injuries, the third passenger sustained minor injuries. They were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for treatment.
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