The Bobster
Senior News Editor since 2004
Illegal migrant — not deported despite multiple DUI and domestic violence raps — allegedly kills NJ mom, 11-year-old daughter in horrific wrong-way crash
Raul Luna-Perez caused the horrific July 26 wreck in Lakewood by crossing into oncoming traffic in a Dodge Durango, and colliding with Maria Pleitez’s Nissan Sentra, according to prosecutors.
nypost.com
Illegal migrant — not deported despite multiple DUI and domestic violence raps — allegedly kills NJ mom, 11-year-old daughter in horrific wrong-way crash
By
Chris Harris
Published Aug. 2, 2025, 9:58 a.m. ET
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.
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7 Maria Pleitez and Dayanara Cortes were killed in a head-on crash July 26. Forevermissed.com
“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.
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“President Trump and Secretary Noem will continue to do everything in their power to remove these criminal illegal aliens before they destroy more lives.”
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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.
7 Raul Luna-Perez is a Mexican national. Ocean County Corrections
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.
7 Photos from the scene show the mangled front-end of Pleitez’s car. Y Smith/TLS
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.
7 The crash killed Pleitez instantly, while Dayanara died moments after arriving at the hospital. Y Smith/TLS
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A GoFundMe campaign is raising money to pay for the bodies to be transported to El Salvador for burial.
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“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.
7 Dayanara only recently celebrated her 11th birthday. Forevermissed.com
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.
