Baby Killed in NJ Parking Lot After Unlicensed Driver Hits Mom and Children

A 9-month-old boy died after an unlicensed driver struck a mother and her two children in a Jackson Township, NJ grocery store parking lot. Two women are now in custody.

Infant Dead, Mother and Daughter Hospitalized After Parking Lot Crash in Jackson Township

A 9-month-old boy was killed Friday after an unlicensed driver struck a mother pushing a stroller through the parking lot of NPGS grocery store in Jackson Township, New Jersey, the NY Post Metro reports, citing the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Maria CobonGuzman, 20, was allegedly behind the wheel of a Ford Fusion when she hit the woman and her two children at approximately 11:55 a.m. The stroller carried a 9-month-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. All three victims were transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where the infant was pronounced dead. The mother and her daughter remain hospitalized in stable condition.

CobonGuzman faces charges of manslaughter, operating a motor vehicle without ever having possessed or been issued a valid driver's license while involved in a fatal crash, and two counts of assault by auto.

A second suspect, Ariadna Lazaro-Flores, 22, of Toms River, was also taken into custody. Prosecutors allege she knew CobonGuzman had never held a valid driver's license in New Jersey or any other state, yet allowed her to drive. Lazaro-Flores is charged with knowingly engaging in conduct creating a substantial risk of death to another.

Both women were transferred to Ocean County Jail following their arrests.

The investigation is ongoing. Neither the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office nor the Jackson Township Police Department responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.

Source: NY Post Metro