Migrant With Probationary License Charged With Injuring Off-Duty Officer
Tuesday, April 22, 2025, 9:15 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
LAKEWOOD, NJ.- On Saturday, April 19, 2025, a 20-year-old Lakewood, New Jersey, man with a probationary driver’s license was taken into custody and jailed after being charged in connection with allegedly running a red light and colliding with with a vehicle leaving an off-duty Lakewood Township Police Officer hospitalized in critical condition.
According to Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, Edwin Ramirez-Carranza, 20, residing in Lakewood Township, New Jersey was formally charged with Aggravated Assault. Ramirez-Carranza was processed on the charge and was remanded to the Ocean County Jail, pending future court proceedings in Ocean County Superior Court in Toms River, New Jersey.
The charge stems from an investigation that unfolded on Saturday, April 19, 2025, shortly after 12:00 a.m. Members of the Lakewood Police Department responded to a 911 Emergency Call reporting a serious two-vehicle crash at the intersection of New Hampshire and Cedar Bridge Avenues in the Township.
Police Officers Locate Serious Motor Vehicle Crash
Upon arrival, Police Officers found a Honda Civic in the roadway and a Chevy Silverado pickup truck in a drainge basin on the side of the roadway. Both vehicles were only occupied by their drivers.
During the initial investigation by Detectives of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit and the Lakewood Township Police Department, determined that the Chevy Silverado, operated by Ramirez-Carranza was traveling northbound on New Hampshire Avenue when the vehicle ran the red traffic signal and struck the Honda Civic that was traveling eastbound on Cedar Bridge Avenue.
Ramirez-Carranza Critically Injuries Off-Duty Police Officer
Further investigation revealed that the Honda Civic was being operated by an off-duty Lakewood Township Police Officer who had just finished up his shift. The off-duty Police Officer sustained serious injuries in the crash and was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition.
Detectives also determined from data stored in the Chevy Silverado’s computer system that Ramirez-Carranza was driving at approximately 106 miles per hour just seconds before striking the Honda Civic. A subsequent search of Ramirez-Carranza’s vehicle led to a quantity of Marijuana. Ramirez-Carranza was also transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries. While being treated, Detectives obtained a court-authorized draw of Ramirez-Carranza’s blood.
On Satuurday, April 20, 2025, Ramirez-Carranza was charged with Aggravated Assault and issued multiple motor vehicle summonses, including Operating an Unregistered Motor Vehicle; Careless Driving; Reckless Driving; Failure to Observe a Traffic Signal; Speeding; Operating a Motor Vehicle After 11:00 p.m., With a Probationary Driver’s License; Using a Wireless Device While Operating a Motor Vehicle; Failure to Have Required Decals on a License Plate While Operating a Motor Vehicle With a Probationay Driver’s License; and Having an Unsealed Container of Cannabis in a Motor Vehicle.
On Saturday, following being released from Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Ramirez-Carranza was transported to the Ocean County Jail.
“The rules of the court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”