A Philly man who drove 106 mph on the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge, killing motorist, is sentenced to 6 years in prison
Jonathan Ramos, 29, pleaded guilty in July to leaving the scene of a fatal accident, as well as speeding and driving with a suspended license, in the death of Gerardo Francisco Perez Martinez, 35.
A Philadelphia man who, with another, caused a five-car crash on the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge in December that killed a motorist and injured several others has been sentenced to six years in New Jersey state prison.
Jonathan Ramos, 29, who pleaded guilty in July to leaving the scene of a fatal accident, as well as speeding and driving with a suspended license, was sentenced Wednesday by Superior Court Judge Philip E. Haines, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina said Thursday.
Codefendant Brandon Moore, 24, of Philadelphia, has also pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the high-speed collision that killed Gerardo Francisco Perez Martinez, 35, of Camden, and is scheduled to be sentenced next month.
Authorities said both men were traveling westbound on the bridge in separate vehicles at over 100 mph in a 45-mph zone just before 7 p.m. on Dec. 28 when their vehicles bumped. The collision caused Ramos’ 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee to cross into oncoming traffic and strike a Honda Civic being driven by Martinez. He was dead by the time Burlington County Bridge Commission Police arrived on the scene.
The investigation revealed that Ramos and Moore, who was driving a 2018 Dodge Charger, had exited the toll booth area and sped toward the bridge “without regard for the safety of other motorists,” the Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.
Moore’s Dodge struck the passenger side of Ramos’ Jeep, forcing it into the lane where it collided with Martinez’s car, investigators concluded based on bridge surveillance video and witness statements. Two other vehicles crashed, with multiple people injured.
Moore reached a top speed of 112 mph, and Ramos 106 mph, the investigation determined.
After the collision, Ramos got out of his Jeep and asked another motorist to call his cellphone because he could not find it in the wreckage, then walked away from the crash scene, the Prosecutor’s Office said.
Moore pleaded guilty in September to vehicular homicide and assault by auto. He acknowledged causing the fatal crash after losing control of his vehicle while driving aggressively, authorities said.