Man Was Speeding In South Jersey Crash That Killed Woman, Hospitalized Five People: Prosecutors

Stephen Sirch, 30, of Voorhees, was arrested and charged with second-degree vehicular homicide on Monday, Apr. 22, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release. His charge stems from a crash on Black Horse Pike on Wednesday, Apr. 3.

Township of Hamilton police responded to the crash near High Bank Road at around 2:15 p.m. Investigators said Sirch's 2014 Chevrolet Equinox struck a 2011 Honda Civic while both vehicles were traveling west on Black Horse Pike.

Karina Castillo, 29, of Clementon, was driving the Honda, which crossed the median after it was struck by Sirch's Chevy. She was hit by an oncoming 2015 Ford Fusion driven by a 40-year-old Hammonton woman.

Castillo was pronounced dead at the scene. According to a GoFundMe page, she was a family therapist and marriage counselor in Vineland, who also worked for the state's Division of Child Protection & Permanency.

The fundraising campaign was created by her sorority sisters from the Rowan University chapter of Lambda Tau Omega. The GoFundMe page had raised more than $29,000 from more than 507 donations as of Tuesday, Apr. 23.

The money from the fundraiser will go to her funeral costs, her fiancé Joe, and her daughter Graciela.

"Your presence brought joy and warmth to many lives, and your absence leaves a void that words cannot fill," the sorority wrote on the GoFundMe page. "Though you're no longer here, your spirit and legacy will continue to inspire us every day—and we will carry it forever."

Sirch, the Ford driver, and two passengers were brought to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City with non-life-threatening injuries. A child passenger also suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was sent to Cooper University Medical Center.

Prosecutors said Sirch was speeding at the time of the crash. After his arrest, he was held at the Atlantic County Justice Facility to await a detention hearing.

The NJDOT said a utility pole was knocked down by the crash and traffic was diverted for several hours.

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