The detention hearing for the undocumented immigrant accused in a deadly Lakewood crash was delayed Wednesday after his lawyers asked for more time to address immigration issues tied to the case, which has been the focus of White House attacks on Gov. Phil Murphy.
Raul Luna-Perez, 43, is accused of driving drunk on July 26 and crossing into oncoming traffic, causing a head-on collision that killed a woman and her 11-year-old daughter. The Trump administration has said Murphy, a Democrat, is to blame because of a state sanctuary policy for undocumented immigrants.
Appearing before Superior Court Judge Guy P. Ryan in Ocean County, attorneys for Luna-Perez said Wednesday they wanted to delay the detention hearing “in light of immigration issues.” Ryan rescheduled it for Monday afternoon.
New Jersey’s bail reform law requires prosecutors to argue to a judge that defendants in some criminal cases should be jailed before trial. A separate judge on July 31 freed Luna-Perez and ordered him confined to his home pending trial, but a second detention hearing was scheduled after Ocean County prosecutors filed additional charges against him.
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After Luna-Perez’s arrest, the Trump administration pinned the blame for the deaths of Maria Pleitez, 42, and her 11-year-old daughter, Dayanara, on Murphy. The state’s Immigrant Trust Directive, which restricts cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agents, is to blame for shielding Luna-Perez from deportation, the Trump administration has said. Luna-Perez has two prior arrests from earlier this year on drunken driving charges, and he was the subject of a 2023 domestic violence complaint that was later withdrawn, according to court officials.
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