Mother charged after fatal accident kills NJ infant, police say

🔶Baby killed in garage
🔶 Mom was at wheel, cops say
🔶 No valid driver's license

A 30-year-old Ocean County mother was facing a criminal charge on Monday, after what authorities called a “tragic accident” that ended in her infant son’s death.

Wendy Castillo-Torres, of Lakehurst, has been charged with causing death while driving without a valid driver’s license, following the awful incident on Saturday evening.

Around 6:15 p.m., Jackson Township police responded to an address on Grawtown Road, and found an unresponsive ten-month-old baby critically hurt.

He was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

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Castillo-Torres had brought her baby to the residence, where she used a friend’s garage to clean and detail motor vehicles.

The infant was placed in a bouncer seat on the ground, between two parked vehicles.

After cleaning one of the vehicles, Castillo-Torres got into the driver’s seat to move it, police said.

But instead of backing out, she put the car in drive and pinned the baby between the vehicles, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer said.

Castillo-Torres immediately put the vehicle in reverse and someone else called 911.

The grieving mother did not have a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash.

“Our investigation indicates that this is a tragic accident, our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time,” Billhimer said.

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