A Toms River woman was sentenced to five years in state prison on charges of vehicular homicide and endangering the welfare of a child in connection with a January 2012 motor vehicle crash that took the life of a 26-year-old Freehold Township woman, Monmouth County Acting Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said.
Bilgye Santamaria, 36, was sentenced by state Superior Court Judge Francis J. Vernoia to a five-year prison term subject to the provisions of the No Early Release Act, requiring her to serve a minimum of 85 percent of her sentence, or four years and three months, before she is eligible for parole.
Santamaria admitted her responsibility in the Jan. 13, 2012 collision on Route 9 in Howell that resulted in the death of Eileen Figueroa, 26, of Freehold Township, when she pleaded guilty to second degree vehicular homicide and third degree endangering the welfare of a child before Vernoia in October.
A joint investigation conducted by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, the Howell Police Department and the Monmouth County Serious Collision Analysis Response Team revealed Santamaria was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer south on Route 9, more than 34 mph in excess of the posted speed limit when she failed to stop for a traffic signal at the intersection of Route 9 and Strickland Road, before colliding with Figueroa’s vehicle at about 10:43 p.m. Figueroa was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, where she was pronounced dead the following morning.
Santamaria had three children — ages 10, 9 and 5 — in her vehicle at the time of the collision. Two of the children sustained injuries that authorities said were nonlifethreatening. The 5-year-old is Santamaria’s child.