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An illegal immigrant from Mexico was allegedly drunk behind the wheel of a speeding SUV that crossed into incoming traffic and crashed head-on into a compact car, killing an innocent woman and her bright-eyed 11-year-old daughter, New Jersey authorities said.
Raul Luna-Perez, 43, has been living in Red Bank, N.J., since early 2023, federal sources told The Post. When and where he allegedly snuck into the U.S. is not known.
The suspect has been roaming free despite two DUI arrests in March and April, and a domestic violence arrest in 2023, according to records.
“Governor Murphy and his sanctuary policies released this serial criminal into New Jersey communities,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Post Friday. “Now, this innocent family is shattered by their failed leadership.
“President Trump and Secretary Noem will continue to do everything in their power to remove these criminal illegal aliens before they destroy more lives.”
Luna-Perez’s Dodge Durango slammed into Maria Pleitez’s Nissan Sentra in the horrific July 26 wreck in Lakewood, NJ, according to local prosecutors.
The 42-year-old mother was killed instantly. Her youngest daughter, Dayanara Cortes, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, perished soon after arriving at the hospital.
A second, unidentified 11-year-old girl riding in the back seat at the time of the 11:20 p.m. collision, was also injured and rushed to a local hospital in critical condition. She has since been upgraded to stable.
Luna-Perez walked away with minor injuries. His two passengers sustained minor injuries, for which they were treated and released.
Because he was showing symptoms of intoxication at the crash scene at Cross Street and Hearthstone Drive, blood was drawn from Luna-Perez at the hospital, authorities said.
He was later charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and assault by auto. Charges could be added once prosecutors receive the blood test results.
In a sad irony, the mother he allegedly killed immigrated from El Salvador years ago. It is unclear if her children were born in the U.S.
A GoFundMe campaign is raising money to pay for the bodies to be transported to El Salvador for burial.
“My aunt was a wonderful woman who worked hard everyday to take of care her 2 daughters,” her niece, Maria Celina Aguilar, wrote on the GoFundMe page, which has raised close to $30,000.
The mother and daughter are survived by Dayanara’s 16-year-old sister, the niece said.
The suspect remains in custody at the Ocean County Jail in Toms River on an active ICE immigration detainer, according to online jail records.
Luna-Perez has been a scofflaw for years, records show. Why he remained in the U.S. after being charged with crimes multiple times is a mystery. New Jersey prosecutors would not even discuss his immigration status, citing state disclosure laws
He was arrested in 2008 by Red Bank cops for disorderly conduct.
He was charged with assault on Jan. 2, 2023, following a violent incident in the same shore town.
That same month, Luna-Perez was busted — again in Red Bank — for leaving the scene of an accident involving property damage, and failure to report an accident. He was later ordered to pay a $970 fine.
His rap sheet includes an arrest in June 2023 for domestic violence. The details surrounding that incident were unavailable.
Shockingly, Luna-Perez was twice collared for DUI within a month this year, yet continued to walk — and drive — free.
He was busted March 20 after a traffic stop on River Street in Red Bank. On April 17, he was stopped by police and again charged for DUI.
Prosecutors said Luna-Perez does not yet have a lawyer.
While Red Bank has never declared itself a “sanctuary city,” officials there adopted a 2017 resolution stating its support for migrants.
Under the direction of Gov. Phil Murphy, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal issued a directive in 2018, turning the Garden State into a sanctuary state. In recent years, Republican lawmakers have implored Murphy to “reevaluate” the state’s position on the classification.
Since 2018, New Jersey has had a statewide Immigrant Trust Directive, with new mandates designed to foster cooperation and “strengthen trust between law enforcement officers and immigrant communities.” One of those bars police from even questioning suspects about their immigration status.
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