Prosecutor: Drunken Driver, 25, Was Going 70 MPH, Ran 2 Lights In Deadly NJ Wreck

A 25-year-old Union County man had been drinking when he sped through a pair of red lights at more than 70 miles an hour, killing a 39-year-old Central Jersey man last year, authorities said.

Mike Ramos
Photo Credit: *Union County Jail*

Cecilia Levine

03/31/2021 12:37 p.m.

Mike A. Ramos, 25, of Plainfield was charged with a single count of second-degree vehicular manslaughter in connection with the May 5, 2020 crash, Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay V. Ruotolo and Plainfield Police Director Lisa Burgess jointly announced Wednesday.

Ramos had consumed alcohol, ran two red lights and was traveling at speeds of more than 70 miles per hour in a 25 mile an hour zone when he struck a Toyota Camry at the intersection of Clinton Avenue and West fourth Street, around 4:50 a.m. May 5, 2020, Union County Homicide Task Force Supervisor and Assistant Prosecutor Scott M. Peterson said.

Ramos was behind the wheel of a GMC Yukov SUV when he struck the sedan, driven by 39-year-old Akwasi Boateng, authorities said.

Boateng, of Middlesex Borough, was taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Ramos was arrested without incident on Saturday, March 27 and lodged in the Union County Jail pending a detention hearing scheduled to take place in Union County Superior Court, Thursday, April 1, 2021.

Convictions on second-degree charges are commonly punishable by terms of 5 to 10 years in state prison.

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