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Driver Was DWI In Central Jersey Crash That Killed Passenger: Prosecutor

A 22-year-old man from Central Jersey has been charged with vehicular homicide in an alcohol-related crash that allegedly killed a passenger in his pickup truck, authorities said.

A GoFUndMe page has been created to help cover the funeral expenses of Jerry Pellak, a 22-year-old passenger who died in a crash last month. The car's driver was charged with vehicular homicide on Monday.

A GoFUndMe page has been created to help cover the funeral expenses of Jerry Pellak, a 22-year-old passenger who died in a crash last month. The car's driver was charged with vehicular homicide on Monday.

Photo Credit: GoFundMe photo

A GoFundMe page has been created to help pay for the funeral expenses of the 22-year-old passenger who died as a result of the crash. More than $16,750 had been raised as of Tuesday morning. 

The fatal crash occurred about 4:35 a.m. on Sept. 19 near Major Road in South Brunswick

A joint investigation found  that Antonio Ferlita, 22, of Marlboro was driving a 2002 Ford F-350 on Major Road when he allegedly left his lane, overturned the pickup truck and struck a tree, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka. The sole passenger of the vehicle, Gerald Pellak, III, 22, of Dayton, died at the crash scene, according to Ciccone and Hayducka.

The GoFundMe page was set up by Johanna Dominguez, who wrote: " If you knew Jerry, you'd know how much he touched the lives of everyone around him. He always lit up the room wherever he was."

"He had a contagious smile and laugh. He will be missed dearly but the memories we have all created with Jerry will not be forgotten'" the page says.

On Monday, Ferlita was charged with one count of second-degree vehicular homicide, driving while intoxicated, and other motor vehicle offenses as a result of the fatal crash, Ciccone and Hayducka said. 

The investigation is active and is continuing. 

Anyone with information is urged to call Officer William Beard of the South Brunswick Police Department at 732-329-4000 ext. 4646, or Detective Jonathan Berman of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-4328.

To contribute to the GoFundMe page created on behalf of Jerry Pollak, click here. "Any donation is greatly appreciated and we ask that you continue to keep his family in your thoughts and prayers," the page says.

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