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By Anders Anglesey
U.S. News Reporter
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An 8-year-old boy on a fishing trip with his dad died after the parked car he was sleeping in was hit by an alleged drunk driver.
Javier Velez had been left in a red 1995 Honda on the side of the White Horse Pike, on U.S. Route 30, in Absecon, New Jersey, while his father, Orlando Velez, and 3-year-old brother fished off a nearby bridge.
Edward Johnston had been traveling westbound alone in his 2019 Nissan Sentra when he "went off the roadway to the right and struck a 1995 Honda that was parked on the shoulder" at about 3:25 a.m. on Sunday, Absecon police said, per ABC6.
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Javier Velez sustained serious injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died.
Atlantic County prosecutors have charged Johnston, 25, from Egg Harbor City, with driving under the influence and reckless driving, according to The Press of Atlantic City.
He was processed and released by city police, which is standard in DUI cases, the prosecutor's office said. The investigation is ongoing, they added.
Prosecutors told NBC10: "Additional charges may be forthcoming pending investigation into the cause of the crash."
Newsweek has contacted the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office via email for comment.
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The New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety says hundreds of people have died on the Garden State's roads this year so far. As of Tuesday, July 25, 301 people were reported to have died in New Jersey in 287 accidents that were recorded by state police. This represented a 23.8 percent increase in traffic fatalities from the previous year. In 2022, there were 395 fatalities recorded and 330 in 2021 at the same date. The overwhelming majority of victims are drivers, followed by pedestrians and then passengers.
This year, there have been 16 children aged 16 and under who have died in traffic crashes in New Jersey. The government statistics also found eight of those children were listed as passengers.
An Absecon Police Department Facebook post shared on the day of the incident read: "U.S. Route 30 (Absecon Boulevard) westbound from Atlantic City is closed to Absecon for a motor vehicle crash."
The APD later issued an updated statement that announced the roadway had been reopened to traffic.
Anyone with any information about Sunday's crash has been asked to contact Detective Dylan Hutton of the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office at 609-909-7885. They can also call Sgt. Ryan O'Connell of the Absecon Police Department at 609-641-0667 x208. A third option is to go online at the ACPO website to submit a tip.
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