Mordechai “Mordy” Berkowitz was sentenced on December 3, 2025 to six years in New Jersey State Prison for a drunk driving crash in Lakewood that killed 44-year-old Juana Lopez-Hernandez and seriously injured another driver in July 2022. Superior Court Judge Dina M. Vicari imposed the term for vehicular homicide, along with a concurrent four-year sentence for assault by auto.1Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Lakewood Man Sentenced to State Prison for Vehicular Homicide and Assault by Auto Under the No Early Release Act, Berkowitz must serve at least 85 percent of the six-year term before becoming eligible for parole, which works out to roughly five years and one month.2Jersey Shore Online. Lakewood Man Sentenced to Six Years for Fatal 2022 Crash
The Crash That Led to the Charges
On the evening of July 22, 2022, at about 8:20 p.m., Berkowitz was driving a 2018 Chevrolet Impala eastbound on South Lake Drive near East Lake Park Drive in Lakewood Township. Investigators determined his car crossed the double yellow line and hit a 2017 Toyota Rav4 head-on. He was traveling more than 90 miles per hour in a 35 mph zone, and his blood alcohol concentration was measured at .157 percent, nearly double New Jersey’s legal limit of .08 percent.1Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Lakewood Man Sentenced to State Prison for Vehicular Homicide and Assault by Auto
Lopez-Hernandez, a citizen of Mexico riding in the front passenger seat of the Rav4, was pronounced dead at Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus. The driver, 35-year-old Maria Flores-Moreno of Jackson, suffered serious bodily injuries and went through hospitalization and rehabilitation before returning home to continue recovering.3Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Lakewood Man Pleads Guilty to Vehicular Homicide and Assault by Auto
From Arrest to Guilty Plea
Berkowitz, then 20, surrendered on July 27, 2022 and was initially charged with aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide, strict liability vehicular homicide, aggravated assault, and assault by auto, along with motor vehicle offenses including DWI, reckless driving, speeding, and failure to maintain his lane.4Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Lakewood Man Charged With Aggravated Manslaughter, Vehicular Homicide, Strict Liability Vehicular Homicide, Aggravated Assault and Assault by Auto He was released under New Jersey’s bail reform system and by his own account spent five weeks in jail followed by years of house arrest before the case resolved.5Daily Voice. Lakewood Man Who Launched Anti-DWI Campaign Sentenced for Deadly Crash
An Ocean County grand jury indicted him on June 8, 2023 on charges of aggravated manslaughter and aggravated assault.6Asbury Park Press. Lakewood NJ Man Indicted Nearly a Year After Fatal Car Crash On April 23, 2025, Berkowitz pleaded guilty before Judge Vicari to vehicular homicide for the death of Lopez-Hernandez and assault by auto for the injuries to Flores-Moreno. Those two counts replaced the more serious aggravated manslaughter and aggravated assault charges.3Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Lakewood Man Pleads Guilty to Vehicular Homicide and Assault by Auto
How the Six-Year Sentence Compares
Prosecutors had sought a 10-year term for vehicular homicide subject to the No Early Release Act, with a concurrent four-year term for assault by auto.7Asbury Park Press. Lakewood Man Faces 10 Years for Alcohol-Fueled Fatal Crash The court imposed six years instead. The case was prosecuted by Senior Assistant Prosecutors Alyssa Mandara and Taylor Toscano.1Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office. Lakewood Man Sentenced to State Prison for Vehicular Homicide and Assault by Auto
Under New Jersey law, vehicular homicide committed while driving under the influence is generally a second-degree crime carrying a potential term of five to 10 years. The statute requires a mandatory prison sentence and a period of parole ineligibility when the defendant was operating under the influence of alcohol.8Justia. N.J. Rev. Stat. § 2C:11-5 The six-year term sits near the lower end of that range, and with NERA’s 85 percent rule applied, the earliest parole eligibility falls at roughly five years and one month.
The Anti-DWI Campaign Berkowitz Launched Before Sentencing
In the summer of 2025, months before he was sentenced, Berkowitz launched a public anti-drunk-driving campaign at dontdrinkanddrive.com. The site carries a first-person essay titled “Some mistakes can’t be undone,” originally published in Mishpacha magazine in July 2025, in which he describes drinking with friends before the crash, deciding to drive while believing he was fine, and being pulled from an overturned vehicle moments before it caught fire. He also writes about the ongoing pain of the victims’ families.5Daily Voice. Lakewood Man Who Launched Anti-DWI Campaign Sentenced for Deadly Crash
The campaign asks visitors to sign a pledge promising never to drive under the influence, to plan ahead before drinking, and to intervene if a friend is about to drive impaired. It requests a minimum one-dollar donation. As of mid-2026 the site reports more than 45,000 signups and says the essay has drawn 57,000 clicks.9Don’t Drink + Drive Project. Don’t Drink and Drive