Overview

• On July 26 in Lakewood, New Jersey, Raul Luna-Perez allegedly crossed into oncoming traffic and crashed into a Nissan Sentra, killing driver Maria Pleitez and her 11-year-old daughter Dayanara Cortes.
• The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office charged Luna-Perez with two counts of vehicular homicide and assault by auto while awaiting court-authorized toxicology results.
• Luna-Perez, 43, entered the U.S. illegally and faced prior arrests for DUI in March and April 2025 and simple domestic violence in June 2023.
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer against Luna-Perez, who remains at Ocean County Jail as federal removal proceedings are prepared.
• Over 150 mourners attended a wake in Howell to pay respects to Pleitez and her daughter, and a community fundraiser has been established to cover repatriation costs.