(TOMS RIVER, N.J.) --- A resident of Toms River pleads guilty to vehicular homicide while driving under the influence, killing a Brick Township teen.
Kailyn Gorga, now 20 and 18 at the time, was the driver of a rollover crash that killed 18-year-old Catalina Reinoso of Brick Township. The crash occurred in Manchester Township on Lacey Road at approximately 2:50 a.m. on April 14, 2024.
Police and investigators concluded that the vehicle was traveling southbound with five passengers inside. The vehicle struck the median, causing it to overturn. All passengers were transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center.
Reinoso was airlifted to the hospital, and five days later, she succumbed to her injuries from the crash.
(Catalina Reinso succumbed to her injuries five days after the crash. Catalina Reinoso/Instagram)
While at the hospital, authorities obtained a warrant to receive Gorga’s blood for testing. The laboratory results determined that Gorga had a blood alcohol concentration of .099% and had active THC levels. In the state of New Jersey, it is illegal to operate a vehicle with a BAC over 0.08%; however, the legal limit for a driver under 21 is 0.01%.
Gorga was also charged and pleaded guilty to assault by auto/vessel of R.S 39:4-50, meaning she was recklessly operating a vehicle that caused bodily injury to another individual.
Gorga is set to be sentenced on October 23, with the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office seeking a seven-year sentence for vehicular homicide along with a concurrent four-year prison sentence.
This would indicate that Gorga would serve both sentences at the same time, not one after the other. In the state of New Jersey, for vehicular homicide, a conviction can lead to “five to ten years in prison and up to $150k in fines,” according to Driving Laws.
These charges are subject to the No Early Release Act, which mandates that 85% of the sentence be completed before parole is considered.
This is an ongoing story, OpGov.News will update as more information becomes available.
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