Unlicensed Driver Hits Family, Killing Infant In Ocean County, Prosecutor Says

The boy's mother and sister are hospitalized; the driver and a second woman have been charged, the Ocean County prosecutor said.

By Karen Wall, Patch Staff

Aug 29, 2026 12:37 PM EDT

Two women have been charged in the crash that killed a 9-month-old boy and injured his mother and 5-year-old sister, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said. (Karen Wall/Patch)

JACKSON, NJ — A 9-month-old boy has died and his mother and 5-year-old sister are hospitalized after they were hit by an unlicensed driver in a grocery store parking lot on Friday in Jackson, the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office said.

The driver and a second woman have been charged in the crash, Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.

The baby and his mother and sister have not been identified by authorities as of Saturday morning.

Maria CobonGuzman, 20, of Trenton, has been charged with manslaughter, operating a motor vehicle without ever having possessed or been issued a valid driver's license while involved in a fatal motor vehicle crash, and two counts of assault by auto, Billhimer said.

Ariadana Lazaro-Flores, 22, of Toms River, was charged with knowingly engaging in conduct creating a substantial risk of death to another, in connection with the crash, Billhimer said.

Jackson police were called to the parking lot at the Jackson NPGS grocery store on West County Line Road shortly before noon on Friday for a report of a crash involving pedestrians, the prosecutor's office said.

The officers found the woman was pushing a baby carriage with her children in the parking lot when they were hit by a Ford Fusion driven by CobonGuzman, authorities said.

Investigators learned CobonGuzman did not have a valid driver's license and had never been licensed to drive in any state, and that Lazaro-Flores was aware of that but let CobonGuzman drive the car anyway, the prosecutor's office said.

The mother and children were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, the prosecutor's office said. She and her daughter were listed as stable, authorities said.

The 9-month-old boy was pronounced dead at the hospital, authorities said.

CobonGuzman and Lazaro-Flores are being held at the Ocean County Jail pending a detention hearing.

The crash remains under investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad and High Tech Crime Squad, Jackson Township Police Department, Lakewood Township Police Department and Ocean County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.