NJ dad pleads guilty to DWI crash that killed 9-yr-old daughter

A Union County man faces prison after admitting to a DWI crash in Mount Laurel that killed his 9-year-old daughter in the fall.

Marcelo Rizzo, 38, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second degree vehicular homicide, second degree endangering the welfare of a child and driving while intoxicated, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said.

Under an agreement with the prosecutor’s office, Rizzo will face 10 years in state prison when sentenced in Superior Court on Oct. 25.

State troopers responded to a crash along Route 295 North on Nov. 25, three days after Thanksgiving, where police said they found Rizzo's Ford Focus in the grass beyond the right shoulder.

Burlington County prosecutors said Rizzo had gotten drunk at an establishment in Camden County before setting off on the road that day.

Toxicology tests on Rizzo following the crash showed his blood alcohol level at the time was 0.16%, twice the legal limit.

Witnesses told police that Rizzo had been weaving through traffic and hit a car before the crash around 6 p.m.

His older daughter, Madelynn, was ejected from the car and died of her injuries.

Rizzo and his younger daughter were not seriously hurt, Coffina said.

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