Man Was Drunk, Speeding In Jan. 11 Crash That Killed Avenel Woman: Prosecutor

CARTERET, NJ — A 23-year-old Carteret man is now charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide for the Jan. 11 car crash that took the life of an Avenel woman.

The Middlesex County Prosecutor says Jair Montero-Moran was speeding and driving drunk when his Toyota Camry collided with an Infiniti driven by Cristina Flores, 34.

The collision occurred at 9:55 p.m. Jan. 11, a Saturday night, on the West Carteret Bridge on Roosevelt Avenue. Montero-Moran was driving 69 miles per hour over the bridge and the two cars collided head on, said the prosecutor. The speed limit there is 25 MPH.

His blood alcohol was also over the legal limit, said the prosecutor. Police say Montero-Moran was speeding and driving recklessly and he veered over the center line and collided head on with Flores.

Flores had just left her parents’ house in Carteret and was headed to her home in Avenel, where she lived with her grandparents.

Both he and she were seriously injured, and he was rushed to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center. Flores was pronounced dead at the scene.

The fronts of both cars were heavily damaged, showing signs of a "high-speed head-on impact," read the criminal complaint. Montero-Moran was also visibly intoxicated at the crash site, said first responders.

Montero-Moran was injured so seriously that he remains in the hospital as of Friday, said the prosecutor. He was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree Aggravated Manslaughter and second-degree Vehicular Homicide.

The fatal crash was investigated by Detective Eric Guzman of the Carteret Police Department and Detective Matthew Colonna of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office. Anyone with information or surveillance footage of the area is asked to call Detective Guzman at 732-541-4181 or Det. Colonna at 732-745-3354.

This GoFundMe page was launched for the young Avenel woman.

"Cristina was a loving daughter, sister, cousin, granddaughter, and friend who radiated warmth and kindness wherever she went," the page read. "Her smile could brighten any room, and her love for her family, friends was boundless. She brought so much joy and light into the lives of everyone she touched, and her presence will be deeply missed."

Initial Patch report: Woodbridge Woman, 34, Killed In Carteret Car Crash (Jan. 12)

Avenel Woman Killed In Carteret Crash Was Returning From Her Parents' House