Thread: Driver in Hamilton drunken driving Father's Day crash remains in jail on $400,000 bai

Driver in Hamilton drunken driving Father's Day crash remains in jail on $400,000 bail

By Brendan McGrath/The Times of Trenton
on June 25, 2013 at 8:00 AM, updated June 25, 2013 at 8:04 AM


Manuel Guitierrez Vazquez

HAMILTON - A Camden man accused of two counts of death by auto in a head-on crash on Route 29 earlier this month that killed a Trenton father and his 4-year-old daughter remains held on $400,000 bail after a brief court hearing yesterday.

Manuel Gutierrez Vazquez, 27, was driving drunk when he went the wrong direction on the northbound side of the road and struck the oncoming vehicle, authorities said. He is being held at Mercer County Correctional Center on two counts of death by auto, one count of assault by auto, and one count of an unlicensced driver causing death, Assistant Prosecutor Skylar Weissman said.

He is also being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and could face deportation after this case is resolved.

Vazquez’s bail review hearing was postponed yesterday because he did not have an attorney present, though he said through an interpreter that he was assigned one.

“I’m not going to address whether or not that bail should be revised in any way until he has an attorney,” Superior Court Judge Robert Billmeier said.

Vazquez, who will return for a bail review when his attorney is available, was recently arrested in Texas on drunken driving charges and has never held a drivers license in the United States, the prosecutor’s office said.

Jorge DeLeon, 28, was driving northbound on Route 29 with his two young children at about 3:30 a.m. when their vehicle was struck head on by Vazquez, authorities said. They were headed back from a baby shower in Bordentown, the family said.

DeLeon died in the crash while his 4-year-old daughter, Jasmine, died days later after suffering trauma to the back of the head, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office said.

DeLeon’s 7-year-old son survived the crash with non-life threatening injuries, authorities said.

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2...0000_bail.html

By Alyssa Mease/The Times of Trenton
on January 06, 2014 at 2:31 PM, updated January 06, 2014 at 2:36 PM


Jorge DeLeon of Elm Street, Trenton, was killed on Father's Day in a head-on crash in Hamilton. His daughter, Jasmine, 4, died the next day after she was taken off life support.Courtesy DeLeon Family

HAMILTON - A judge today maintained bail for the driver in a fatal crash on Route 29 in the early hours of June 16.

Manuel Gutierrez Vazquez, 27, admitted drinking four or five mixed drinks at an outdoor Trenton party before attempting to drive home to Camden, Assistant Prosecutor Skylar Weissman said.

Vazquez drove his Dodge Durango the wrong way on Route 29 and crashed into a Nissan Quest driven by Jorge DeLeon of Trenton. Both cars were traveling at about 65 mph, authorities have said.

“The defendant has said he has no recollection of driving southbound in the northbound lane,” Weissman said.

DeLeon was pronounced dead at the scene, and his daughter Jasmine, 4, was taken off life support at Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia the next day. DeLeon’s son, 7-year-old Guzmario, survived the crash with broken bones.

Vazquez has been charged with two counts of death by auto and one count of assault by auto. If convicted, he faces between five and 10 years in prison for each count, Weissman said.

Vazquez also was charged with driving while intoxicated and driving without having been issued a driver's license in the United States, the prosecutor's office said.

Toxicology results have not been made available to prosecutors, Weissman said. Vazquez was arrested for drunken driving just weeks before the June 16 crash, prosecutors said.

He was in Camden working as a welder, and was in the country illegally, prosecutors said.

“My understanding is he has no contact with this area. He travels from state to state with his job,” Weissman said.

Vazquez was born in Mexico and has been in New Jersey for about four years, Judge Robert Billmeier said.

Billmeier called Vazquez a “flight risk” before maintaining his bail at $400,000 cash or bond.

He also is being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and could face deportation after this case is resolved.

http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2..._hamilton.html