MANCHESTER – A 20-year-old Toms River woman has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and assault by auto in connection with a 2024 crash that killed an 18-year-old Brick Township woman.
Kailyn Gorga entered the pleas July 31 before Superior Court Judge David M. Fritch, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said.
The charges stem from an April 14, 2024, crash on Lacey Road in the Whiting section of Manchester Township that resulted in the death of Catalina Reinoso.
Prosecutors said they will seek a seven-year state prison sentence for the vehicular homicide charge and a concurrent four-year sentence for assault by auto when Gorga is sentenced Oct. 23. The vehicular homicide sentence would be subject to the No Early Release Act, requiring Gorga to serve 85% of the term before becoming eligible for parole.
Manchester police responded to the single-vehicle crash at about 2:50 a.m. Investigators determined Gorga was driving a 2008 Mazda 3 south on Lacey Road when the vehicle struck a raised median. Authorities said she overcorrected, causing the car to overturn.
Reinoso, who was seated in the rear of the vehicle, was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune. She died from her injuries five days later.
Five other passengers — Tyler Beaulieu, 18, of Beachwood; John Winkowski, 19, of Brick; Cameron Sparmo, 19, of Toms River; and Peter Myslinski, 19, of Toms River — were also taken to the hospital, where they were treated and released. Authorities listed five passengers, including Reinoso, in the vehicle.
Gorga was taken to the same hospital, where investigators obtained a blood sample through a court-approved warrant.
Laboratory testing showed Gorga had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.099%, above New Jersey’s legal limit of 0.08%, prosecutors said. Testing also detected active THC and a THC metabolite in her system.
Gorga surrendered to Manchester police May 31, 2024, accompanied by her attorney. She was taken to the Ocean County Jail and later released under New Jersey’s bail reform guidelines.
Supervising Assistant Prosecutor Alyssa Mandara is handling the case. The investigation involved the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit-Vehicular Homicide Squad, Manchester Township police and the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit.
