Two Bronx Women Sentenced For Fatally Running Down NJ College Graduate

Monday, June 2, 2025, 10:45 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

NEWTON, NJ.- Two Bronx, New York, women will be spending the next six years in New Jersey State Prison after being sentenced last Friday for fatally running down a cyclist last summer in Sandyston, New Jersey.

     According to Acting Sussex County Prosecutor Sahil K. Kabse, on Friday, May 30, 2025,  Sabrina A. Pomales, 30, and Elizabeth F. Palacios-Gotay, 22, both of the Bronx, New York, appeared in Sussex County Superior Court and were sentenced by Superior Court Janine M. Allen to six years in New Jersey State Prison, subject to the No Early Release Act which will require Pomales and Palacios-Gotay to serve 85% of their custodial term before becoming eligible for parole.

Both New York Women Plead Guilty

     Pomales and Palacios-Gotay previously appeared on March 31, 2025, in Sussex County Superior Court and pleaded guilty before Judge Allen to first-degree Aggravated Manslaughter for recklessly causing a motor vehicle crash that claimed the life of a 22-year-old cyclist in Sandyston, New Jersey.

     The guilty pleas and sentences stem from an investigation that began on June 29, 2024, when New Jersey State Troopers responded to a report of a cyclist being struck by a vehicle that had overturned on Route 206 North in Sandyston, New Jersey.

     Upon arrival, State Troopers located a Nissan Altima that was located off the northbound shoulder of Route 206 with heavy damage after striking a cyclist. The driver of the Nissan was identified as Palacios-Gotay. The victim, identified as Damian Baranowski, 22, of Milford, Pennsylvania, and a recent NYU graduate, had succumbed to injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Investigation Uncovers Both Vehicles Were Speeding

     During the ensuing investigation, investigators determined that Palacios-Gotay and a black Nissan Sentra were traveling on Route 206 North at a high rate of speed of over 90 miles per hour in a 50-mile-per-hour zone and were illegally passing other vehicles utilizing the shoulder, at which point Palacios-Gotay struck the cyclist causing fatal injuries. The driver of the Nissan Sentra was later identified as Pomales. 

     Following the investigation, both Palacios-Gotay and Pomales were taken into custody and charged, resulting in their guilty pleas and Friday’s sentence. In handing down the sentence on Friday, Judge Allen noted the defendant’s age and lack of criminal history.

     “Individuals that operate vehicles at an excessive speed endanger the lives of everyone on the roadway,” said Acting Prosecutor Kabse. “It is imperative that motorists conduct themselves in a safe and responsible manner with the understanding that their decisions can have deadly consequences for others.”

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