RED BANK, NEW JERSEY – A mother and her 11-year-old daughter were killed in a head-on crash after an illegal immigrant allegedly drove drunk into oncoming traffic in New Jersey.
Raul Luna-Perez, 43, a Mexican national living in the US illegally has a long rap sheet and two DUI arrests in just the last four months together with multiple arrests for drunk driving, domestic violence, and hit-and-run.
Luna-Perez had been living illegally in Red Bank since early 2023 and was able to remain free under New Jersey’s sanctuary policies.
On the night of July 26, police say Luna-Perez’s speeding SUV veered into the wrong lane in Lakewood and smashed into a Nissan Sentra carrying 42-year-old Maria Santos Pleitez and her daughter Dayanara Cortes, killing them both and critically injuring another child.
He has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and assault by auto after his speeding Dodge Durango slammed into Pleitez’s car.