Drunk driver sentenced to five years for serious crash on Route 22 in Somerset County
BRIDGEWATER TOWNSHIP, NJ (Somerset County) – A Union County man has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for causing a serious crash on Route 22 in Bridgewater Township in 2023, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald.
Jose C. Villanueva-Izaguirre, 24, of Plainfield was sentenced on May 10 by the Honorable Angela F. Borkowski, J.S.C., to a term of five years in prison for three counts of third-degree assault by auto, three counts of fourth-degree assault by auto, three counts of fourth-degree driving while unlicensed and causing serious bodily injury, and third-degree unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, McDonald said.
Additionally, Villanueva-Izaguirre was ordered to pay $17,623.73 restitution to one of the six victims, McDonald said.
Villanueva-Izaguirre was also sentenced for the motor vehicle offenses of Driving While Intoxicated and Driving While Unlicensed. He entered a guilty plea to the charges on March 22, McDonald said.
The charges were the result of a serious motor vehicle crash caused by Villanueva-Izaguirre on June 11, 2023, at about 2:09 a.m. at the intersection of Route 22 eastbound and Vosseller Avenue, McDonald said.
Villanueva-Izaguirre was intoxicated, did not have a driver’s license, and two of his three passengers were not wearing seatbelts. The Honda he was driving belonged to an acquaintance, he had taken the vehicle without the owner’s knowledge or permission, McDonald said.
At the intersection, Villanueva-Izaguirre drove at high speed through the red light and slammed into the right front side of a Kia that had two passengers in addition to the driver, McDonald said.
As a result of the crash, two victims in the Kia suffered serious bodily injuries. One victim in the Honda suffered severe near-fatal injuries. Villanueva-Izaguirre and the other victims suffered relatively minor injuries, McDonald said.
Villanueva-Izaguirre’s blood alcohol concentration was 0.12%. In addition to alcohol, the subsequent tests also confirmed the presence of cocaine and THC in the defendant’s system, McDonald said.
