NJ woman charged with DWI in crash that killed toddler

🚨A 3-year-old girl was killed in the Jan. 13 crash on Route 34 in Howell

🚨Her mother and 2-year-old brother were also seriously injured

🚨Suspect Samantha E. Bonora was charged with DWI in the crash

HOWELL — A woman accused of being under the influence of "multiple narcotic substances" was charged in a crash that claimed the life of a 3-year-old girl on Route 34 in January.

The girl was one of two toddlers riding with their mother in a Jeep Grand Cherokee just north of Route 33 on Jan. 13, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago. They were hit head-on by a Dodge Ram pickup driven by Samantha E. Bonora, 31.

The impact caused the pickup to come to a stop in the northbound lanes where it was struck by a Ford Bronco.

Bonora, a Howell resident, was charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter and two counts of second-degree aggravated assault.

Bonora was also charged with driving under the influence, as well as multiple motor vehicle summonses. She is being held at the Monmouth County Correctional Institute pending a first court appearance scheduled for Wednesday.

Mom needs to recover for her son

The toddler, identified on a GoFundMe page as Kylie Williams, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Her mother, Joelle, continues to recover in hopes of returning to a sense of normalcy for her 2-year-old son Lucas, who suffered serious injuries in the crash.

"I’m going to find the strength deep down inside to continue to do everything that I can for my son because he does not deserve any of this. I don’t know how I’m going to find normalcy for him because I will be bedridden for weeks with more surgeries, but I will always find a way," Joelle Williams said.

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