Driver sentenced for causing fatal Burlington County car crash topping 112-mph
A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to eight-years in prison for causing a five-car collision on the Tacony-Palmyra bridge in Burlington County that killed a Camden resident, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina announced on Thursday.
Brandon Moore, 24, who previously pled guilty to Vehicular Homicide and Assault By Auto, admitted to losing control of his Dodge Charger while chasing a Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by 29-year old Jonathan Ramos of Philadelphia and both were driving at speeds of over 100-mph on the bridge itself, Prosecutor Coffina said, with Moore topping 112-mph and Ramos topped 106-mph -- on a 45 mph road.
Ramos, who pled guilty to Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Accident and was given several traffic summonses for speeding and driving with a suspended license, was sentenced to six years in prison.
“This tragic case underscores the truth of the old adage, ‘speed kills.’ The victim, Mr. Martinez, was killed just days after Christmas last year, and another holiday season is upon us,” Prosecutor Coffina said in a statement. “We urge everyone to keep their cool behind the wheel, and to pause and consider the possible consequences when operating a vehicle while experiencing road rage, or while impaired, distracted, or simply speeding. The risk of depriving your or another person’s family of their loved one, forever, due to an avoidable crash simply is not worth it.”
Prosecutor Coffina said investigators learned that Moore and Ramos were heading west towards the bridge and after passing the tolls began speeding "without the regard for the safety of other motorists".
As they were flying towards the bridge on December 28, 2020, Moore struck Ramos causing the SUV to veer into the oncoming lane which crashed into another vehicle, killing 35-year old Gerardo Francisco Perez Martinez
The other drivers involved in the crash were brought to Cooper University Medical Center for treatment.
Ramos asked another driver to call his cell phone "because he was unable to locate it in the wreckage" and then he took off on foot after the crash.
Police found his cellphone.
Moore and Ramos were prosecuted by Assistant Prosecutor Josh Dennis, supervisor of the BCPO Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit.
The investigation was conducted by the Prosecutor’s Office, the Burlington County Bridge Commission Police Department and the Cinnaminson Township Police Department.
The lead investigators were BCPO Detective Jack Bowker, BCBCPD Detective Sergeant Brian Laudenslager and CTPD Detective Kevin Bohn.