Man Accused Of Killing Rutgers Student In Wrong-Way Crash Offered Plea Deal

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A man accused of drunkenly driving the wrong way on Rt. 27 and crashing head-first into a car driven by a Colonia young woman — killing her and seriously injuring her front-seat passenger — appeared in court Tuesday morning.

Silvino Ruiz Alonso, 28, is currently being held at the Middlesex County Jail. He is charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter, second-degree vehicular homicide, second-degree aggravated assault, second-degree assault by auto and third-degree endangering for the Feb. 18 death of Amber Torres, who was 22 years old.

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His blood samples were tested after the crash, and he was additionally charged with DUI, said a spokeswoman for the county prosecutor.

Torres' mother and father appeared in court Tuesday morning, seated just feet away from Alonso, who was handcuffed and wearing green prison garb. Torres' mother cried throughout the entire court hearing.

In court, Assistant Middlesex County Assistant Prosecutor Erin Campbell told Superior Court Judge Colleen Flynn the state offered Alsono a plea deal: If he pleads guilty to aggravated manslaughter for Torres' death, he will serve 12 years in state prison. The state asks that he also plead guilty to vehicular homicide, for which he will serve five years, but those five years will be served concurrently (at the same time) as the 12-year sentence.

It is not immediately known if Alonso accepted the plea deal. He is represented by a public defender. He required a Spanish-speaking interpreter to interpret what was said in court Tuesday. After the hearing, he was taken back to the county jail, and the next step is his charges will go before a grand jury on June 2, who will determine if Alonso will be indicted.

Also, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a detainer to arrest Alonso, said Judge Flynn. That means ICE has probable cause to believe that Alonso can be deported from the United States under federal immigration law. That would happen after he serves his 12-year prison sentence for Torres' death, should he accept the plea deal.

After the hearing, Torres' mother said outside the courtroom she hopes Alonso does not get an early release from prison. The family then said they would not be answering any more questions.

The fatal crash occurred at 10:36 p.m. Feb. 18 on Rt. 27 in Woodbridge, in the area of Deepa Auto Repair:

Alonso, who was living in Iselin at the time, was intoxicated and driving south in the northbound lanes of Rt. 27, police said. His 2013 Hyundai Tucson hit a 2025 Nissan Altima, driven by Torres, head on.

Torres and her front-seat passenger, a 21-year-old woman also from Colonia, were headed to a friend's house that evening. The impact killed Torres; she was rushed to JFK Hospital where she later died. Her front-seat passenger was seriously injured in the crash, as was Alonso.

"Tragically, Amber was the only one who lost her life that night," wrote her family on this GoFundMe.

Torres grew up in Colonia and graduated from Colonia High School in 2022. She played softball and was a cheerleader at Colonia High, according to her obituary. In high school and college, she worked as a waitress at Stewart’s Drive-In restaurant in Rahway and she also once worked as a server at Top Golf in Edison. Her father is a Hudson County corrections officer.

Torres was going to graduate from Rutgers this May, and she wanted to become a dentist.

The investigation of this fatal crash was done by Woodbridge Police investigator Adam Kazawic and Detective Stenly Vertus of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office

All of our coverage of the death of Amber Torres, 22, of Colonia:

Iselin Man Charged With Vehicular Homicide For Death Of Colonia Young Woman

Funeral For Colonia Woman, 22, Killed In Crash Will Be Thursday

Blood Samples Taken From Man Charged In Wrong-Way Rt. 27 Fatal Crash In Woodbridge