JACKSON – A 9-month-old died after being struck by a car in the parking lot of the grocery store NPGS on Friday, August 28, officials said. The mother and her 5-year-old daughter are hospitalized and in stable condition.
Maria CobonGuzman, 20, of Trenton and Ariadna Lazaro-Flores, 22, of Toms River were charged in connection with the incident, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office. CobonGuzman was charged with manslaughter, operating a motor vehicle without ever having possessed or been issued a valid driver's license while involved in a fatal motor vehicle crash and two counts of assault by auto. Lazaro-Flores was charged with knowingly engaging in conduct creating a substantial risk of death of another.
According to the prosecutor's office, CobonGuzman was driving a Ford Fusion in the parking lot of NPGS when she struck the mother and her baby carriage.
Around 11:55 a.m., Jackson Township police officers responded to the scene. The investigation was conducted by the Jackson Township Police Department as well as the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Ocean County Prosecutor's Office High Tech Crime Squad, Lakewood Township Police Department and Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.
Investigators found that CobonGuzman did not have a driver's license in any state and Lazaro-Flores knew about the fact, but allowed CobonGuzman to drive.
CobonGuzman and Lazaro-Flores were taken into custody on Friday and are waiting at the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing, according to the prosecutor's office.
Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Nine-month-old dies after being struck by car in a Jackson parking lot