Woman Sentenced In DUI Crash That Killed Son, Nephew In Middlesex Co.

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — A New Brunswick woman was sentenced to 11 years in prison for a fatal wrong-way crash in 2021 that killed two children, Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and North Brunswick Police Chief Joseph Battaglia said.

Yokauri Batista-Alcantara was sentenced on Wednesday, August 16, for the fatal crash that occurred on Thanksgiving night in 2021. Batista-Alcantara drove the wrong way and crashed into an Old Bridge Police vehicle, authorities said.

On Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021, around 11:53 p.m., authorities responded to the southbound lane of Route 130 near the on-ramp to Route 1 in North Brunswick Township following the report of a serious crash involving an Old Bridge Police patrol vehicle and a Honda Accord.

On arrival, authorities found Yokauri Batista-Alcantara, 33, of New Brunswick, and two children at the scene. Batista-Alcantara and the children were taken to a nearby hospital where the juveniles were pronounced dead, Ciccone said. The children killed in the crash were Batista-Alcantara's son and nephew.

According to investigation, two Old Bridge police officers, Michael Walsh and John Prudhomme, were taking an in-custody passenger to the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in North Brunswick when Batista-Alcantara drove the wrong way down the on-ramp and struck the police vehicle.

The investigation revealed that Batista-Alcantara was drunk and using her cell phone at the time of the crash.

Batista-Alcantara subsequently pled guilty to two counts of second-degree vehicular homicide for the deaths of the two children in her vehicle as well as three counts of third-degree Assault-by-Auto for the serious injuries caused to all occupants of the police vehicle as well as one count of Driving While Intoxicated.

The plea recommendation called for an aggregate sentence of 20 years subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA).

Judge Benjamin S. Bucca, Jr., J.S.C., sentenced Batista-Alcantara to a concurrent six-year prison term for the two counts of vehicular homicide consecutive to an aggregate five-year prison term for three -counts of assault-by-auto for a total of 11 years in state prison, with the first six -years pursuant to the No Early Release Act.

Batista-Alcantara must serve 85 percent of her sentence before being eligible for parole.

She has permanently forfeited her license to practice as a registered nurse. Finally, she was sentenced on her DWI charge as well and her driver’s license was suspended for five years upon release from prison. Also, upon release, Batista-Alcantara will have three years of parole supervision.

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