NJ man indicted in crash that killed 8-year-old as he slept in parked car
MAYS LANDING, N.J. - A 25-year-old Galloway Township man has been indicted for aggravated manslaughter after a car he was allegedly driving hit a parked vehicle, killing an 8-year-old boy last July.
Officials say Edward Johnston was driving a sedan that veered off the road, hitting a vehicle that was parked on the side of the White Horse Pike in Abescon.
Authorities say 8-year-old Javier Velez had been fishing with his younger brother and his father and was asleep inside the parked vehicle at the time of the crash. The boy was transported to the hospital but later died from his injuries.
'He made us a family': Vigil held for Logan boy killed on fishing trip with father, younger brother
The Logan community is wrapping their arms around a family who lost their 8-year-old son and brother when a driver plowed into their parked car. A vigil was held Wednesday night as the parents shared memories of Javier Velez.
"You're gonna push me? Yeah. Fine. Let’s go," said a happy 8-year-old Javier Velez, while playing with his younger brother, Jerry, on an early morning fishing trip with their dad.
"I'm gonna jump in that water with the crab," he is heard saying. It would be the last video Javier would record on his now smashed up cellphone recovered from the car crash that claimed his life.
During an investigation, authorities say Johnston was "…in a state of intoxication" and speeding when the car went off the road and hit the parked vehicle.
Javier’s parents have been vocal regarding what they feel is justice for their son’s death, including holding a protest in Mays Landing in November about whether Johnston should remain in jail while awaiting a court date.
"I'm enraged. The insides of me are still shaking," said Kaylah Smith as she held tight her son’s ashes. She was in shock that during a virtual hearing, a judge ordered the person charged in the car crash that took her little boy's life, let out of jail until his next court date.