Rockaway Township Manslaughter SuspectA Mountain Lakes man faces serious prison time if he is convicted on aggravated manslaughter charges stemming from a fatal drunk driving accident in Rockaway Township, NJ.

The fatal crash occurred on Route 80 in Rockaway Township NJ on July 11, 2015. The suspect was behind the wheel of a Cadillac Escalade and driving past a construction site when he reportedly slammed into a Kia. The collision caused the Kia to crash into a Jeep, with the Kia subsequently catching fire.

Three people inside the Kia died as a result of the car crash: a 24-year-old male, his 21-year-old fiancé, and the couple’s 18-month-old daughter. The victims were passing through New Jersey and headed back to their hometown of Jeffersontown, Kentucky. Authorities indicated that the adult female victim was pregnant when she died in the car wreck.

The suspect, a 24-year-old resident of Mountain Lakes, was arrested and charged with Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) and aggravated manslaughter.

After the suspect was indicted by a grand jury, Morris County prosecutors offered him a plea deal: agree to plead guilty to three counts of aggravated manslaughter and the prosecutor’s office would recommend a sentence of 36 years behind bars.

The suspect ultimately rejected the plea offer and is likely headed to trial in Morris County Superior Court, which is located in Morristown, New Jersey.

In advance of the trial, the suspect is being held at the Morris County Correctional Facility on a bail amount of $750,000.

For additional information about this case, view the NJ.com article, “Man Charged in Crash That Killed 3 Reportedly Loses Bid to Dismiss Charges.”