JACKSON TOWNSHIP, NJ. (THECOUNT) — Maria CobonGuzman, 20, of Guatemala, has been charged with manslaughter and other offenses after authorities say she struck a mother and her two children with a Ford Fusion in a Jackson Township grocery store parking lot Friday, killing a nine-month-old boy and injuring his mother and 5-year-old sister.
According to Ocean County officials, CobonGuzman had never been issued a valid driver’s license in New Jersey or any other state.
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A passenger in the vehicle, Ariadna Lazaro-Flores, 22, of Mexico, was also charged in connection with the incident. Lazaro-Flores faces a charge of conduct knowingly creating a substantial risk of death to another.
Federal immigration authorities have lodged detainers against both suspects, indicating they are being investigated regarding their immigration status. Jail records show that Maria Cobon-Guzman is a citizen of Guatemala and the passenger, Ariadna Lazaro-Flores, is a citizen of Mexico.
CobonGuzman was also charged with assault by auto and operating a vehicle without ever having been issued a valid driver’s license while involved in a fatal crash.
Prosecutors allege Lazaro-Flores knew CobonGuzman had never been licensed to drive but nevertheless permitted her to operate the vehicle.
The crash occurred shortly before noon Aug. 28 in the parking lot of the NPGS grocery store on West County Line Road. According to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, CobonGuzman was driving a Ford Fusion when the vehicle struck a mother and a baby carriage containing her two children.
The victims included a 9-month-old boy and his 5-year-old sister. The three victims were transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune following the crash.
The infant was later pronounced dead. His mother and 5-year-old sister remained hospitalized in stable condition when the prosecutor’s office announced the charges.
Both defendants were being held at the Ocean County Jail pending detention hearings.
The investigation remains active and is being conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad and High Tech Crime Squad, along with the Jackson Township Police Department, Lakewood Police Department and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.
Authorities had not publicly released the infant’s name in the information provided for this report.
Jackson Township is located in Ocean County in central New Jersey, approximately 50 miles south of New York City and about 20 miles west of the Jersey Shore. West County Line Road runs through the Jackson Township area.
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