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Yasmin Sanchez-Centeno, 18, was sentenced on Monday, Mar. 25 to 20 months of Juvenile Justice Commission custody because the crash happened when he was a minor. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced the sentence in a news release on Wednesday, Mar. 27.
Sanchez-Centeno previously pleaded guilty to knowingly leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and strict liability vehicular homicide. He also received mandatory fines, penalties, and a two-year suspension of his driver's license after also pleading guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol.
Manchester Township police responded to the crash at around 10 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. It happened on Route 37 near Leisure Village West-Pine Lake Park.
Investigators said 23-year-old Jeffrey Schlinger of Toms River was driving a blue 2007 Yamaha motorcycle and Sanchez-Centeno was driving a 2005 Nissan Murano. The Nissan turned onto Route 37 and failed to yield to the motorcycle.
Schlinger struck the rear passenger side door of the Nissan. Sanchez-Centeno ran away from the car and Manchester police found him hiding in a nearby wooded area.
Police determined that Sanchez-Centeno was drunk at the time of the crash. He gave officers identification that said he was 22 years old but prosecutors later said it was false and he was actually 17.
Schlinger died from his injuries at Community Medical Center in Toms River. Sanchez-Centeno was arrested and was held in a juvenile detention center since the crash.
A GoFundMe page raised $52,156 for Schlinger's funeral expenses.
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