Prosecutor: Drunk Pemberton, NJ woman killed teen in 90 mph crash

PEMBERTON — A 54-year-old township woman is accused of driving drunk and speeding with her headlights off when she crashed into another and killed a teen driver last month.

Wanda Sprague has been charged with first-degree reckless manslaughter and second-degree vehicular homicide.

The Dec. 16 crash happened after Sprague left a bar in the Browns Mills section of town, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said Thursday.

Pemberton police responded around 9:15 p.m. to the area of Lakehurst Road and Rancocas Lane, where Sprague’s Chrysler 300 had crashed into a Nissan Sentra driven by 17-year-old Kayla Bowen, of Pemberton. Bowen was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators found that Sprague had been drinking alcohol before the crash.

Her headlights had not been turned on and her car reached a speed of over 90 mph, in the moments before the collision, Coffina said.

Sprague also was badly hurt in the crash and is still recovering from injuries.

In addition to the criminal charges, she was ticketed for multiple offenses, including operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Kayla was a senior at Pemberton Township High School and was in the Medical Arts Program at the school, according to her online obituary.