A mother and her 5-year-old daughter were also injured after a Ford Fusion struck their baby carriage in Jackson Township.
JACKSON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A 9-month-old boy died after a car struck his mother and 5-year-old sister in a grocery store parking lot, and prosecutors charged the 20-year-old driver with manslaughter after investigators said she had never held a valid driver’s license.
Maria CobonGuzman, 20, of Trenton, faces manslaughter, two counts of assault by auto and a charge of operating a motor vehicle without ever having possessed or been issued a valid driver’s license while involved in a fatal crash, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said. Ariadna Lazaro-Flores, 22, of Toms River, also was charged after investigators alleged she knew CobonGuzman had never held a license but permitted her to drive. The charges are accusations, and both women are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Jackson Township police were called to the NPGS grocery store on West County Line Road at about 11:55 a.m. Aug. 28 after receiving a report of a vehicle crash involving pedestrians. Officers found a mother and her two young children had been struck in the store’s parking lot, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office.
Authorities said the mother was pushing a baby carriage carrying her 5-year-old daughter and 9-month-old son when they were hit. All three were taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for treatment. The infant was pronounced dead at the hospital. His mother and sister were reported in stable condition in the prosecutor’s initial account.
Investigators determined that CobonGuzman was driving a Ford Fusion through the parking lot when the vehicle struck the mother and the carriage, prosecutors said. Authorities said their investigation also found that CobonGuzman did not possess a valid driver’s license and had never been issued one in New Jersey or any other state.
Officials have not publicly detailed what caused the Ford to strike the family, and the prosecutor’s statement did not describe the vehicle’s speed or other circumstances immediately before the collision. Authorities also have not publicly released the names of the mother or her children in their official account of the crash.
Prosecutors allege Lazaro-Flores knew CobonGuzman had never possessed a valid driver’s license but allowed her to operate the vehicle. Lazaro-Flores was charged with knowingly engaging in conduct creating a substantial risk of death to another. The prosecutor’s office did not publicly describe the relationship between the two women or identify the owner of the Ford in its announcement.
The investigation involves the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad and High Tech Crime Squad, along with the Jackson Township Police Department, Lakewood Township Police Department and Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit. Authorities have not publicly explained what evidence is being examined by the high-tech unit.
CobonGuzman and Lazaro-Flores were taken into custody and lodged in the Ocean County Jail pending detention hearings, according to prosecutors. The fatal crash remained under investigation in the latest official release, and authorities had not announced whether additional charges were expected.
Author note: Last updated August 30, 2026.