A Monmouth County jury returned a guilty verdict against a 50-year-old Keansburg woman in connection with the 2016 collision which took the life of 39-year-old Yuwen Wang on Laurel Avenue in Hazlet Township, announced Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.
Alexandra Mansonet, 50, of Keansburg, is facing five to ten years in a New Jersey state prison after the trial jury returned a guilty verdict for second degree Vehicular Homicide following a three-week trial before Monmouth County Superior Court Judge David F. Bauman. Her sentence is also subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act (NERA) requiring her to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole.
Evidence presented at the trial revealed that Mansonet was texting while driving at the time of the fatal crash.
“This is a tragedy in every respect. Texting while driving puts drivers and pedestrians in grave danger and we are hopeful that the jury’s verdict will reinforce the public’s awareness of this risk. Even taking your eyes off the road for mere seconds is not worth the risk of the serious bodily injury or death that can result from texting while driving,” said Prosecutor Gramiccioni.
The charges stem from a collision which occurred at approximately 8:20 a.m. on Sept. 28, 2016 at the intersection of Laurel Avenue and Sixth Street in Hazlet. The initial collision involved a 2000 Mercedes Benz, operated by Mansonet and a 2011 Toyota Corolla, operated by Robert Matich of Keansburg. Matich’s son was a passenger in the vehicle. Matich’s vehicle was proceeding south on Laurel Avenue approaching the intersection with Sixth Street when he observed pedestrians looking to cross Laurel Avenue at the marked crosswalk. In compliance with motor vehicle law that requires a driver to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk, Matich slowed his vehicle a significant distance prior to the intersection to allow the pedestrians to cross. As Matich brought his vehicle to a controlled stop, Mansonet’s vehicle collided with the rear of his vehicle, which was propelled forward, striking the victim.
Wang was transported by helicopter to Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center’s Trauma Unit in New Brunswick, where she died on Oct. 3, 2016.
An investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team (SCART) and Hazlet Township Police Department determined Mansonet was using her cellular telephone while driving and made no observations of Matich’s vehicle. Accordingly, Mansonet never activated her brakes and collided with the vehicle, causing it to cast forward and strike the victim.
The case was prosecuted by Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Christopher J. Decker, Director of the Office’s Major Crimes Bureau.
Terrible tragedy on All sides.
Hashem please watch over us.
Ridiculous that someone should go to state prison for malum prohibitum and not malum per se. No intent to harm.
Hey @lawyer. What is your position on sentencing for a drug dealer, regional or local? They certainly don’t mean to kill the naive children taking the poison. Should we offer them community service?
Should an intoxicated driver also be allowed to skip out of prison. They didnt either mean to kill a family driving along the road? @lawyer You need to rethink you plaus.
This article, and the verdict, should be required reading for everyone in Lakewood. DON’T TEXT AND DRIVE.
I agree with lawyer. Either throw the 500,000 New Jersey drivers who routinely text while driving in jail for the act for 5 years even if nothing happens since the act itself is criminal, or don’t give a five year sentence just because the same act happened to end in tragedy. I am not saying to let her off the hook, but this is excessive and rediculous.
as long as anyone thinks this is excessive or ridiculous nothing will change. maybe now that something horrible happened people will learn. the way telephones are used today is killing us in many different ways. of course this is a tragedy, but it is only by the Grace of G-d that this has not happened before now
To Lawyer: I doubt you would say that if it was c”v a family member of yours that got killed
Texting while driving is no different than playing with a loaded gun and killing someone
If you drive and text at the same time you are a murderer period
Hope people learn the lesson – but I doubt it. People are just stupid and think it won’t happen to them
Every person texting or talking on the phone while driving should be ticketed. We need more cops.
I bet if it were a yeshiva girl you would be saying it was excessive. Many people text while driving and do not deserve to go the penitentiary where this woman, possibly someone’s wife, will be abused in the worst ways. The law should come down on people who murder or commit crimes that are intrinsically evil, crimes that do not need government to outlaw. If a yeshiva girl shot someone, even one’s own wife, we would agree she should be punished.
Remember, if this woman is going to jail for ten years, should your wife also text and unfortunately get into an accident like this, then you should accept her fate, ch”v.
This is a crime without intent.
DWI is also a crime without intent. Should we dismiss all DWI cases?
Yes, everyone does it. So what? And it only takes one distracted second to change a life forever CH”V. How many of us can say we never had a close call due to distracted driving? We’re so busy that we can’t wait till the next red light to respond to that important “life or death” question!! Yes, it CAN happen to you. It can happen to anyone!
You can agree with Lawyer but what does that prove? The law is there to protect you and I from people who disregard a simple law.I would use this situation and talk to my wife and children about the seriousness of this crime and the consequences
of it,enduring the pain staking anxiety of a criminal trial before a judge and jury who will elect to punish you according to the law. When will people start to realize that they will be held responsible for their own actions. Papa can’t get you out of Jail its cold and dark in there. We have been publicly warned. No excuses.
According to the reasoning of those who say lock her up, everyone who texts and drives should be charged with attempted vehicular homicide. I believe that 30 days behind bars would give the same message without ruining another person’s life which is already ruined from the terrible feelings of guilt and the trauma and expense of going through this trial.
I can’t believe people are saying to go light on her because “she didn’t mean to kill anyone”
She knew the risk she was putting other people’s lives in by texting and driving but didn’t care. She gets zero sympathy from me.
If anything her sentence was too light.
Some of the posters here seem to have adopted the liberal attitude of excusing those who murder someone and have forgotten what the Torah says
Odom Mued L’Olam!!!
It says that you need intent and ma’sa y’dyim. Although not as perfect as our legal principles, the common law once also had basic principals. But now everything is statutory. Whatever the legislature decides.
Take for instance California. If you kill a fetus, you are charged with murder. But the mother is allowed to abort? The contradiction was not a problem in the common law because murder was defined as a human in being under the King’s realm.
The truth is that this is negligent homicide. Texting is merely negligent, not reckless. We can text all day and not have an accident.
Remember, that the owners of the Triangle Shirt Waste Factory were found not guilty of being reckless. They kept the emergency exit locked! Although that might be wrong ( a reasonable person might expect a fire at some time).
And yes, at the ridiculously low blood alcohol level of 0.008 an accident is mere negligence. People drive all the time at that level without even swerving. True they should be subject to civil penalties or perhaps a light sentence, but it is only negligence. Driving at 0.02 might be reckless.
There is a difference between killing someone with intend and without.
My mother was a member of MADD and worked to get the first drunk driver that killed a family friend in jail. They guy was VERY drunk. He got a year in jail.
Many eat when they drive, change the stereo station, lock at maps, but since these things are not common, they would be adjudged for negligence and likely not receive jail time.