JACKSON TWP., NJ — A 9-month-old boy died after a vehicle struck a mother pushing a stroller with two children in a grocery store parking lot, according to Ocean County prosecutors and Jackson Township police.
The crash happened Friday around 11:55 a.m. in Jackson Township, and all three pedestrians were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. Officials said the mother and the 5-year-old girl were listed in stable condition, while the infant was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Authorities said the case remains under investigation, and two women were later charged in connection with the incident.
Prosecutors identify the driver as a 20-year-old from Trenton
Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said Maria CobonGuzman, 20, of Trenton, was charged with manslaughter, operating a vehicle without ever having possessed or issued a valid driver’s license, and two counts of assault by auto.
Officials said CobonGuzman was taken into custody and transported to the Ocean County Jail. The charges reflect both the fatal outcome and the fact that investigators say she had never held a valid driver’s license.
Prosecutors did not release additional details about what led up to the crash beyond the parking lot collision itself.
Second woman accused of creating a substantial risk of death
A second woman, Ariadna Lazaro-Flores, 22, of Toms River, was also charged in the same case, prosecutors said.
Billhimer said she was charged with knowingly engaging in conduct that created a substantial risk of death to another person. Officials did not say in the charging announcement what specific actions investigators believe led to that allegation.
Like CobonGuzman, Lazaro-Flores was taken into custody and booked into the Ocean County Jail.
Mother and children were hit in a busy store lot
Police said the crash involved a mother walking with a stroller carrying her two children, a 5-year-old girl and a 9-month-old boy. The vehicle hit all three in the grocery store parking lot.
The scene was at a commercial lot rather than on a roadway, underscoring how quickly a routine trip to a store can turn tragic. Investigators have not said whether the family was crossing through the lot, near an entrance, or in another part of the property when the impact happened.
Officials also have not said what kind of vehicle was involved.
Hospital update shows two survivors remain stable
Jersey Shore University Medical Center received all three victims after the crash, and the hospital later confirmed the infant’s death. The mother and the 5-year-old girl remained stable, according to police.
Those updates offered the first public snapshot of the family’s condition after the collision. No further medical details were released about the mother or child, and officials did not say how long they expected treatment to continue.
The death of the infant turned what began as a three-person injury case into a homicide investigation with two women now facing criminal counts.
Investigation continues as charges move forward
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office said the matter is still under investigation, which means more facts could emerge about how the crash unfolded and whether additional charges are possible.
For now, prosecutors have laid out a case centered on an alleged unlicensed driver, a deadly parking lot collision, and another woman accused of conduct that created substantial risk of death. The details released so far point to a fast-moving incident with severe consequences for one family.
Billhimer’s office has not announced a court date or described any broader public safety changes tied to the crash.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
