The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
A 21-year-old township man has been sentenced to 12 years in state prison for a 2022 crash that left one person dead and injured others.
Samuel Villar was sentenced on December 3 in state Superior Court in New Brunswick, according to a press release from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.
Villar pleaded guilty on June 14 to 1st Degree Aggravated Manslaughter, four counts of 2nd Degree Aggravated Assault, and 2nd Degree Eluding.
At sentencing, Villar received 12 years for the first count, and concurrent 10-year sentences for the remainder.
Under the No Early Release Act, Villar will have to serve 85 percent of the 12 years before he can be considered for parole.
According to the release, Villar was fleeing Marlboro police in a stolen car on November 9, 2022 from Marlboro into Old Bridge. He ran a red light at Spring Valley Road and Route 9 South, hitting several vehicles.
As a result of the crash, Arturo Tlapa Luna, 33, of Freehold was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release. Members of his family were also injured.
Upon his release, Villar will be on probation for five years and his driver’s license will be suspended for two years, according to the release.
