Old Bridge man charged with reckless vehicular homicide in Hillsborough crash
HILLSBOROUGH – A 20-year-old Old Bridge man was charged with reckless vehicular homicide and assault by auto in a high-speed crash on Amwell Road that left a 74-year-old Flemington woman dead, announced the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
Jaden Brandon Ramos turned himself in Thursday morning at Hillsborough Township Police Headquarters, said Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald and Hillsborough Police Chief Michael McMahon.
Ramos was being held at the Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing. He faces five to 10 years in state prison if convicted of the second-degree reckless vehicular homicide charge.
Hillsborough police and medical personnel were dispatched around 4:07 p.m. July 22 to a two-vehicle collision in the area of Amwell Road and Cemetery Lane in the Neshanic section of Hillsborough, McDonald said.
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Arriving officers found a 2016 Mercedes-Benz facing southeast in the westbound lane with extensive front-end damage, McDonald said. The driver of the Mercedes, a Flemington man, had serious left leg injuries and was taken to an area trauma center, the prosecutor said. His passenger, a 74-year-old Flemington woman, was also taken to an area trauma center where she was pronounced dead at 5:49 p.m. from injuries in the crash, McDonald said.
Police located a 2007 Dodge Charger about 30 feet off the westbound side of Amwell Road with extensive front-end damage, McDonald said. The driver, identified as Ramos, was conscious and alert, and was also taken to an area trauma center with complaints of hip pain, the prosecutor said.
An investigation by Hillsborough police and the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team determined Ramos was traveling eastbound on Amwell Road when he apparently attempted to pass another eastbound vehicle, in a no-passing zone, and drove into oncoming westbound traffic, where he collided head-on with the Mercedes traveling west, McDonald said.
Two witnesses at the scene indicated Ramos’ car was allegedly traveling well above the 35 mph-speed limit and in the westbound lane at the time of the crash, McDonald said. Additional forensic evidence analyzed indicated that Ramos’ car was traveling about 65 mph at the time of impact, the prosecutor said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-575-3300, the Hillsborough Township Police Department at 908-369-4323 or via the STOPit app. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Crime Stoppers’ Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All anonymous STOPit reports, and Crime Stopper tips will be kept confidential.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Hillsborough NJ: Old Bridge man charged in fatal crash
