Crime, Regional Interest

Prosecutor: Area Man, 24, Facing Vehicular Homicide Charges in DWI-Related Crash

An area man has been arrested and charged with vehicular homicide and related charges in stemming from a single-vehicle crash that left one person dead in May, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago and New Jersey State Police Superintendent Jeanne Hengemuhle announced on Thursday.

Kelvin Gomez-Fuentes, 24, of Long Branch, has been charged with: second-degree vehicular homicide, having been previously charged with the motor vehicle traffic offenses of driving while intoxicated (DWI), reckless driving, careless driving, unsafe lane change, delaying traffic, damage or defacing of roadway, unsafe operation of motor vehicle, failure to obey traffic signs or signals, failure to keep right, failure to exhibit insurance, failure to exhibit documents, and possession of unsealed container of cannabis. 

Shortly before 4 a.m. on Sunday, May 17, NJ State Police officers responded to the area of the Garden State Parkway Express southbound lanes, near milepost 108 to find the single-vehicle collision involving a Toyota Tacoma, operated by Gomez-Fuentes.

A 27-year-old occupant of the vehicle, Katherine Andrade-Portillo of Long Branch, sustained fatal injuries in the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation by members of the New Jersey State Police Troop “D” Criminal Investigative Office, NJ State Police Fatal Accident Investigation Unit, assisted by MCPO Fatal Accident Unit resulted in a determination that Gomez-Fuentes was operating his vehicle under the influence of intoxicating substances at the time his vehicle veered off the roadway, striking many objects before overturning and becoming engulfed in flames.

Gomez-Fuentes was charged earlier this week and surrendered to law enforcement at the NJ State Police barracks in Holmdel. He was transported to Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) pending an upcoming appearance in Monmouth County Superior Court.

— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office