Drunk Driver Gets 7 Years After Fleeing Scene Of Crash That Killed A Man

A 38-year-old New Jersey man has been sentenced to seven years in prison for a 2020 crash that killed a motorist, prosecutors said.

Roberto Sandoval-Guerrero, of Toms River, New Jersey, pleaded guilty in September to vehicular homicide after driving while drunk and causing the crash that killed Daniel Cintron and injured another man on the Garden State Parkway last year, according to a statement from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.

On Sept. 5, 2020, Sandoval-Guerrero was driving south on Parkway near milepost 86 in Toms River when he hit 50-year-old Cintron, of Ossining, New York, and another driver, 21-year-old Staten Island resident Frank Puglisi.

Cintron and Puglisi had previously exited their respective vehicles after being involved in a "minor" motor vehicle crash. They were in the process of exchanging insurance information on the shoulder of the Parkway when they were struck by Sandoval-Guerrero's 2002 Mercury Mountaineer, prosecutors said.

Puglisi was struck on his left arm, but Cintron was thrown into the lanes of travel where he was run over by passing vehicles. Cintron was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police found during the investigation that instead of pulling over, Sandoval-Guerrero fled the scene of the crash. He later abandoned his vehicle on the shoulder and ran away on foot.

Police eventually found Sandoval-Guerrero in the area of Route 9 and Church Road and took him into custody.

Upon his arrest, Sandoval-Guerrero was found to have a blood-alcohol level of .146% at the time his blood was drawn. The legal limit in New Jersey is .08%.

Sandoval-Guerrero has been held in the Ocean County Jail since his arrest.

His prison sentence is subject to the No Early Release Act, which means Sandoval-Guerrero will be required to serve at least 85% of his sentence before he may be considered for parole eligibility.

In addition to being sentenced to seven years behind bars, Ocean County Superior Court Judge Rochelle Gizinski also suspended Sandoval-Guerrero’s driving privileges for 10 years. The suspension will begin after his release from prison.

In accordance with the changes to the laws concerning Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), the judge ordered that Sandoval-Guerrero must install an ignition interlock device on his car for one year following the expiration of the 10-year suspension of his driving privileges.

Ignition locking devices act as an everyday breathalyzer test, with drivers required to blow into a tube to provide a blood-alcohol reading. It would prevent a car from starting if a driver is found to have a blood-alcohol level above .05%.