Fatal Parking Lot Incident Involving Illegal Immigrant
An undocumented individual, recently allowed entry into the United States by the current administration, is facing charges related to the death of a 9-month-old boy and serious injuries to his mother and sister in a parking lot accident in Ocean County, New Jersey, which is considered a sanctuary state.
Maria Cobon-Guzman, a 20-year-old from Guatemala, was apprehended and charged with manslaughter, operating a vehicle without a valid driver’s license during the fatal accident, and two counts of assault by auto.
On August 28, around noon, police reported that a woman was walking with her 5-year-old daughter and 9-month-old son through a grocery store parking lot when Cobon-Guzman struck them with her vehicle.
All three were rushed to a nearby hospital where sadly, the baby was pronounced dead. Fortunately, the mother and sister are currently in stable condition, receiving medical care.
A second individual, 22-year-old Ariadana Lazaro-Flores from Mexico, was also arrested. She was charged with engaging in conduct that could result in significant risk of death or injury. Reports suggest that Lazaro-Flores admitted she knew Cobon-Guzman didn’t possess a driver’s license but still allowed her to drive.
According to reports, Cobon-Guzman crossed the southern border illegally in 2023 and was subsequently released into the U.S. by the current administration. Alarmingly, she had received a deportation order from a federal immigration judge less than a month before this tragic incident.
Lazaro-Flores, on the other hand, is said to have crossed the southern border five times in October 2023, being returned to Mexico each time. However, she managed to cross successfully on an unspecified date afterward.
Both individuals have immigration detainers placed against them by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official commented on the situation, stating that “an innocent baby would still be alive today had it not been for the current administration’s open border and reckless immigration policy.” The official urged the Ocean County Jail to honor ICE’s detainers on these two individuals to keep them out of American communities permanently.
