Toms River man guilty of vehicular homicide, faces prison

A Toms River man may face ten years in prison after being found guilty of vehicular homicide. The verdict comes from a jury after a trial lasting nearly two weeks. The case involves a fatal car crash that occurred on March 9, 2022, in Lakewood Township. The accident claimed the life of 32-year-old Mark Mandel. He was driving a Chevrolet Impala and attempting to turn left when his car was struck by a 2012 Infinity G35 driven by 24-year-old Alejandro Huerta-Arias. Investigators reported that Huerta-Arias was driving at an average speed of 93 miles per hour in a 40 miles per hour zone. Mandel's car crashed into a traffic signal, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. Huerta-Arias suffered a fractured leg and was treated at a local hospital. Huerta-Arias was charged with vehicular homicide in June 2022 after surrendering to the police. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 16.