Perth Amboy, NJ: It is often during times of crisis that the worst of people becomes evident—this incident is no exception.
On March 28, 2020, Patrick Monahan, 38, of Staten Island, was driving a 2018 Ram 1500 pick-up and was driving aggressively, cutting in and out of traffic, said police. He was also recorded driving 40 miles per hour faster than the posted speed limit just seconds before striking a Ford minivan on Convery Boulevard, said Perth Amboy police.
The minivan’s passengers, Maria De Lourdes Aguerra, 47, and Maria Garcia, 44, both of Elizabeth, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. An 8-month-old infant in the minivan was airlifted to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, but died Saturday.
The Staten Island man who told police he was “out visiting friends” killed three people Friday night. A search of his pick-up truck also revealed suspected controlled dangerous substances, said police, who did not specify what the drugs were.
Monahan was charged with aggravated manslaughter in the first degree, three counts of vehicular homicide in the second degree and one count of aggravated assault in the third degree. In addition, after he told police he was out visiting friends, he was also charged with three counts of Violation of Law Intended to Protect Public Health and Safety and Recklessly Causing Death in the second degree, one count of Violation of Law Intended to Protect Public Health and Safety and Recklessly Causing Bodily Injury in the fourth degree, and one count of Violation of an Emergency Order.
Monahan violated Governor Murphy’s March 21 order that restricts non-essential activities in the state of New Jersey, said police.
He is currently being held at the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center.
