Man Indicted In Parkway Crash That Killed Middlesex County Woman

by KAREN WALL

A Hunterdon County man has been indicted on charges of vehicular homicide and hindering apprehension, after prosecutors say he was under the influence of alcohol in a high-speed crash on the Garden State Parkway in November 2013 that killed his companion.

Bryan Brandt, 26, of Bailey Avenue in Union Township, is charged with one count of second-degree vehicular homicide and one count of third-degree hindering apprehension of oneself, Charles Webster, spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s office, who announced the indictment by the grand jury.

Brandt also was issued motor vehicle summonses for driving while intoxicated, failure to maintain a lane and reckless driving, Webster said. Brandt is free after posting $150,000 bail, he said.

Authorities say Brandt was at the wheel of a 2006 Nissan Altima belonging to his companion, Paola Torres, 22, of East Brunswick, when it crashed near mile marker 96 on the Parkway on Nov. 24, 2013.

A joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Major Crimes Bureau and New Jersey State Police revealed Brandt was travelling north from Atlantic City, where he had been drinking and gambling with Torres and a group of friends. He left one of the Atlantic City casinos at about 5:45 a.m. driving Torres’ car while she occupied the front passenger seat, Webster said.

As Brandt was driving through a construction zone on the Garden State Parkway at what authorities say was an excessive rate of speed, he lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a wooded area in the center divider between the northbound and southbound lanes. As a result of the collision, Torres was ejected from the vehicle and was subsequently taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where she died from the injuries she sustained in the crash, authorities said.

Prosecutors said Brandt told police Torres was driving the Altima at the time of the crash and that he was the front seat passenger. The investigation determined this was not the case and that Brandt was in fact the driver of the car when it crashed, they said. The investigation also revealed that Brandt was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision, Webster said.

“An extensive investigation that spanned close to two years was conducted by the New Jersey State Police Fatal Accident Unit, Troop “D” Criminal Investigations, and Crime Scene Investigation Unit, which led to fact that indicated Brandt was the driver at the time of the crash,” State Police said.

If convicted of second degree vehicular homicide, Brandt faces five to 10 years in state prison, subject to the provisions of the “No Early Release Act,” requiring him to serve 85 percent of the sentence imposed before becoming eligible for release on parole. If convicted of the hindering charge, he faces three to five years in state prison.

Photo via NJ State Police Facebook page