A Red Bank man accused of driving drunk and causing a deadly crash in Lakewood has been formally indicted, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer announced today.

According to the indictment, 43-year-old Raul Luna-Perez faces a long list of charges, including two counts of Aggravated Manslaughter, two counts of Reckless Vehicular Homicide, two counts of Strict Liability Vehicular Homicide, and one count of Assault by Auto.

The charges stem from a July 26, 2025, collision at Cross Street and Hearthstone Drive that left 42-year-old Maria Pleitez of Lakewood and her 11-year-old daughter dead.

Investigators say Luna-Perez was driving a Dodge Durango eastbound on Cross Street around 11:20 p.m. when he crossed over the double yellow line, passed four vehicles, and crashed head-on into Pleitez’s Nissan Sentra. Pleitez was pronounced dead at the scene, and her daughter later died at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. A second young passenger in the back seat survived after being treated for her injuries.

Officers at the scene reported signs that Luna-Perez was impaired. A court-authorized blood test later showed a blood alcohol concentration of .19 — more than twice the legal limit — leading investigators to conclude his BAC was likely three times the limit at the time of the crash.

Authorities also determined Luna-Perez was traveling about 60 miles per hour when the collision occurred.

Luna-Perez was originally charged the day after the crash and briefly held at the Ocean County Jail before being released on home detention under state bail reform laws. He was later taken into federal custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

After toxicology results confirmed his high level of intoxication, prosecutors upgraded the charges in early August. Detectives later arrested Luna-Perez at an ICE detention facility in Elizabeth, and he has remained jailed since.