Both drivers involved in a fatal crash during the summer of 2023 are now facing criminal charges after authorities alleged that they were driving while intoxicated.
The two vehicles collided at the intersection of Route 35 and Broad Street in Eatontown around 7:50 p.m. on Aug. 24, 2023, killing one passenger and injuring several others, officials said.
Zyasia M. Henson, 28, of Long Branch, and Edgar G. Marcial-Diaz, 32, of Red Bank, were both charged last month with vehicular homicide and two counts of assault by auto, the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said. Henson was also charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and hindering apprehension.
The two have also been issued summonses for driving while intoxicated, failure to observe a traffic signal and reckless driving, prosecutors said.
Marcial-Diaz was driving alone at the time of the crash, while Henson had four relatives in his car. One of the relatives, Octavius Wallace, 23, of Lake City, South Carolina, was pronounced dead on the scene, authorities said.
Two of Henson’s other family members, a 26-year-old woman and four-year-old boy, suffered serious injuries. An infant was also ejected from the vehicle, but did not suffer serious injuries, officials said.
The two drivers will appear in Monmouth County Superior Court at a later date.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
