18-Year-Old North Brunswick Man Sentenced To State Prison For Killing A Man In December 2023 Vehicle Crash
Monday, May 6, 2024, 10:30 A.M. ET. By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ.- On Friday, May 3, 2024, an 18-year-old North Brunswick, New Jersey man was sentenced to New Jersey State Prison in connection with a December 2023, motor vehicle crash that claimed the life of a 69-year-old New Brunswick, New Jersey man.
According to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone, on Friday, Manuel Centeno-Rodriguez, 18, of North Brunswick appeared before the Honorable Craig L. Corson, Judge of Middlesex County Superior Court, and was sentenced for a charge of second-degree Vehicular Homicide to a term of 3-years in New Jersey State Prison.
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The sentence will be subject to the No Early Release Act which will require Centeno-Rodriguez to serve 85 percent of his custodial term before becoming eligible for parole. Judge Corson also sentenced Centeno-Rodriguez to two concurrent 12-month sentences for two counts of fourth-degree Assault by Auto charges. Following his release from prison Centeno-Rodriguez will be on parole supervision for a term of 3-years. Last month Centeno-Rodriguez pleaded guilty to the charges.
The sentence stems from an investigation that began on December 19, 2023, just shortly after 6:30 a.m., when members of the North Brunswick Police Department responded to the area of Route 130 and Renaissance Boulevard in North Brunswick, following receiving a report of a serious motor vehicle crash.
Upon arrival, Police Officers located a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado that crashed into a Volkswagen Golf. As a result of the crash Silverio Castro-Martinez, 69, of New Brunswick, New Jersey succumbed to injuries sustained in the crash and was transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
Three other occupants in the Volkswagen Golf were injured, two sustained serious injuries, and one sustained minor injuries. All three were transported to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital for treatment.
An ensuing investigation by Officer William Bonura of the North Brunswick Police Department and Detective Matthew Colonna of the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office determined that Centeno-Rodriguez who was unlicensed, was driving the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado when he rear-ended the Volkswagen Golf, which was stopped in traffic. The impact of the crash caused the Volkswagen Golf to hit an Acura RDX that was stopped in front of the Volkswagen Golf, killing Castro-Martinez, the rear driver's side passenger, and injuring the three others.
Following the investigation, Centeno-Rodriguez was taken into custody and formally charged.
FILED UNDER: MAY 6, 2024: LAW, LOCAL, MIDDLESEX: