New Brunswick Woman Charged In Auto Deaths Of Franklin Child And His Cousin

A New Brunswick woman faces manslaughter and other charges in connection with a Thanksgiving night car accident which killed her son and his cousin, a township 9-year-old.

The 31-year-old woman drove the wrong way on the on-ramp from Route 130 to Route 1 in North Brunswick when the car she was driving struck an Old Bridge police cruiser carrying two police officers and a person in custody, according to a press release from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

The accident occurred at about 11:53 p.m., the release said.

The woman and the two children were taken to a nearby hospital, where the children were pronounced dead, the release said.

The occupants of the police cruiser were also taken to a local hospital for treatment of their injuries, the release said.

The township child was a student at Hillcrest Elementary School. The Franklin Reporter is not publishing his name at the request of the family.

Hillcrest’s principal, Albert Fico, sent a letter out to the school’s families alerting them to the accident and informing them that counseling and support “will be available to all of our students for as long as it is needed.”

“Our prayers and deepest sympathy goes out to the families of both children,” Fico wrote.

The New Brunswick woman was charged with two counts of 1st Degree Aggravated Manslaughter, two counts of 2nd Degree Vehicular Homicide, two counts of 2nd Degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child, two counts of Aggravated Assault, and one count of 4th Degree Assault by Auto, according to the release.

Reckless driving and alcohol consumption are believed to be contributing factors to the accident, according to the release.

The woman is being held in the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center, North Brunswick, pending a pre-trial detention hearing.

Anyone with information or video footage of the area is asked to call Detective Jonathan Berman of the
Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at (732) 745-4328.

The state Attorney General’s Office is “investigating the conduct of the officers involved in the collision,” as per Attorney General Directive 2019-4, according to a press release from the AG’s office.

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