RismadarVoice Reporters
August 29, 2026
A 20-year-old woman who allegedly never obtained a driver’s licence has been charged after she reportedly crashed into a mother pushing her children in a stroller at a grocery store parking lot in Jackson Township, New Jersey, killing a nine-month-old baby boy and injuring another child.
Police and prosecutors said Maria CobonGuzman was driving a Ford Fusion when the vehicle struck a mother, her nine-month-old son and her five-year-old daughter at the parking lot of NPGS, a kosher grocery store, at about 11:55 a.m.
The victims were rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Centre, where the baby boy was pronounced dead. The mother and the five-year-old child were reported to be in stable condition.
CobonGuzman was charged with manslaughter, driving a vehicle without ever possessing a valid driver’s licence, and two counts of assault by auto, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer.
Another woman, 22-year-old Ariadna Lazaro-Flores of Toms River, was also charged in connection with the incident. Prosecutors accused her of knowingly engaging in conduct that created a substantial risk of death to another person.
Authorities alleged that Lazaro-Flores knew CobonGuzman had never held a valid driver’s licence in New Jersey or any other state but still allowed her to operate the vehicle.
Both suspects were taken into custody and transferred to the Ocean County Jail.
The incident remains under investigation, while authorities continue to gather details surrounding the crash.
The Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and Jackson Township Police Department had not immediately provided further comments on the case.
