Survivor of deadly 2013 GSP crash indicted for vehicular homicide

The man suspected of being behind the wheel during a hair-raising one-car crash on the Garden State Parkway in Wall Township that left his companion dead in November 2013 risks five to 10 years in prison if convicted of vehicular homicide.

Bryan Brandt, 26, of Union Township, was indicted today in Freehold on the second-degree count, along with a third-degree charge of hindering his own apprehension, according to information from the office of acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Chris Grammiccioni.

Brandt was also charged with driving while intoxicated, failure to maintain a lane and reckless driving. He is free after having posted $150,000 bail.

Paola Torres, 22, was thrown from the car after it plowed into trees in the center divider near milepost 96 early in the morning of November 24, 2013. She died from crash-related injuries at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

Investigators believe that Brandt, Torres and friends were gambling and drinking in Atlantic City. At about 5:45 AM, Brandt allegedly took the wheel and Torres occupied the front passenger seat of her Nissan Altima for the drive north on the Parkway. Investigators say that Brandt lost control of the car while speeding through a construction area.

According to investigators, Brandt told police that Torres drove and that he was her passenger in the front seat. They also contend that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash.

The second-degree charge would carry a stipulation to serve 85 percent of the term under New Jersey's No Early Release Act (NERA). The hindering count could add three to five more years on conviction, if ordered to run consecutively.