The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
A 29-year-old Somerset resident, who is also an Edison police officer, faces several charges including First Degree Vehicular Homicide and DWI in the aftermath of an early morning car crash on Route 27/Somerset Street that killed two people.
The man, Amitoj Oberoi, remains hospitalized with undisclosed injuries caused by the accident on Route 27, near Voorhees Avenue. Oberoi was off-duty at the time of the crash, according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
The Prosecutor’s Office has identified the two men killed in the accident as Carlos A. Perez-Gaytan, 24, of Somerset and Victor Cabrera-Francisco, 20, of North Brunswick.
Perez-Gaytan was ejected from the vehicle, a 2007 Audi Q7, in the crash, while Cabrera-Francisco was trapped in the vehicle. Both men were pronounced dead at the scene.
A third, unidentified man from Highland Park sustained minor injuries, but refused treatment.
None of the passengers were law enforcement officers, according to the release.
The car driven by Oberoi was heading south on Somerset Street at a high rate of speed at about 6:30 a.m. when Oberoi lost control of the vehicle, causing it to leave the road and strike several trees, light posts and a utility pole before stopping in front of R&J Glamour Salon, according to the release.
An investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team (CART), and the Major Crimes Unit revealed that Oberoi’s blood alcohol level was above the legal Blood Alcohol Concentration limit, according to the release. The release did not reveal the blood alcohol reading level.
In addition to two vehicular homicide charges, which were issued by detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, Oberoi faces Franklin Township charges of Driving While Intoxicated, Reckless Driving, Careless Driving, Improper Passing, and Failure to Keep Right, according to the release.
Oberoi was arrested on August 30, according to the release.
Oberoi will remain under police custody while in the hospital, and upon release will be taken to the Somerset County Jail, Somerville, pending a detention hearing.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Somerset County Prosecutors Office at (908) 231-7100, or the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-5533 or via the STOPit app. The STOPit app allows citizens to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. STOPit can be downloaded to your smart phone for free at the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, access code: SOMERSETNJ. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports, and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.
Editor’s Note: It is the Franklin Reporter & Advocate’s policy to not name defendants in criminal cases, unless those defendants are notable for their position in the community.
