North Brunswick Man Sentenced to Three Years for Auto Fatality on Route 130

NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ - A North Brunswick man has been sentenced to complete at least 85% of a three-year sentence for his role in a fatal accident.  Manuel Centeno-Rodriguez pled guilty to second-degree Vehicular Homicide and two counts of fourth-degree Assault by Auto of Silverio Castro-Martinez, 69, of New Brunswick in an accident that occurred this past December 19, 2023.

At approximately 6:32 A.M., authorities responded to the area of Route 130 and Renaissance Boulevard following the report of a crash, says a report issued by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office today.

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Upon their arrival, authorities located a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado that crashed into a Volkswagen Golf. As a result of the crash, Castro-Martinez succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

An investigation was conducted by Officer William Bonura of the North Brunswick Police Department, and Detective Matthew Colonna of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, which determined that Centeno-Rodriguez, 18, of North Brunswick, who was unlicensed, was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado when he rear-ended a Volkswagen Golf, which was stopped in traffic. The impact of the crash caused the Volkswagen Golf to hit an Acura RDX that was stopped in front of them, killing Castro-Martinez, the rear driver-side passenger of the Volkswagen Golf.

Two of the occupants of the Volkswagen Golf sustained serious injuries, the third passenger sustained minor injuries, says the report.

On March 18, 2024, Centeno-Rodriguez pled guilty to second-degree Vehicular Homicide and two counts of fourth-degree Assault by Auto. Centeno-Rodriguez was subsequently sentenced on May 3, 2024, by the Honorable Craig L. Corson, J.S.C., to 3 years in New Jersey State Prison subject to the No Early Release Act (NERA), which means he will have to serve 85 percent of his sentence without parole, concurrent to 12 months in prison for each of the Assault by Auto offenses. Centeno-Rodriguez will be on parole supervision for 3 years upon his release from prison.

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