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Sorah Tyner, 37, was charged on Wednesday, June 5 with two counts of vehicular homicide, manslaughter, endangering the welfare of a child, assault by auto, hindering, and obstruction. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced her charges in a news release on Friday, June 7.
Jackson Township police responded to the crash near the intersection of Cleveland Court and East Veterans Highway at around 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 30. Tyner was driving west on East Veterans Highway in a 2018 Chrysler Pacifica with two children.
Investigators said Tyner crossed into the eastbound lane while trying to go around a left-hand curve. Her minivan crashed into a 2010 GMC Terrain operated by 36-year-old Carolina Bonilla-Hernandez.
Tyner and the two children in her minivan were rushed to Jersey Shore University Medical Center and a boy was pronounced dead at the Neptune hospital. The other child remained hospitalized in stable condition and Tyner was released.
Bonilla-Hernandez was rushed to Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood and died from her injuries. A GoFundMe page said she was a mother of seven and it raised more than $10,700 from at least 254 donations as of Friday, June 7.
Police said Tyner "was in the oncoming lane for some distance" before the crash and didn't try to avoid hitting Bonilla-Hernandez's SUV. A search warrant of her cellphone showed she was using it when the crash happened.
Investigators also found the boy who died was only wearing a seatbelt and should have been in a car seat due to his age and weight. The other child was in a car seat.
Detectives also said Tyner "made inconsistent statements" after the crash. She was arrested at her home on Thursday, June 6.
Tyner was held in the Ocean County Jail to await a detention hearing.
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