Frankie Luna Santamaria.
By BRIAN DONOHUE
Almost ten months after a 20-year-old Red Bank man was fatally struck by a car on Bridge Avenue, the investigation into his death has concluded with no charges against the driver, a spokesperson for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Meanwhile, the driver in a more recent crash that injured a pedestrian a few blocks away has been hit with multiple motor vehicle violations.
The intersection where Frankie Luna Santamaria was struck and fatally injured in May. (photo by Brian Donohue)
Frankie Luna Santamaria was walking home from his job at Buena Sera restaurant on Monmouth Street to his home on Herbert Street when he was struck crossing Bridge Avenue at the intersection with Herbert. The driver was identified by police as Denise Denk of Colts Neck, who police said was behind the wheel of a 2004 Lexus RX, a compact SUV.
In an email response to questions from redbankgreen A spokesperson for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s office said last week that the investigation had concluded with no charges filed against the driver. Asked for details about how the accident occurred or how the conclusion was reached, he said the office had no further comment.
Luna-Santamaria’s aunt, Marlen Luna said the family was still searching for answers as to how he was killed.
She said investigators updated the victim’s family several months ago, telling them the driver was not intoxicated, not speeding and had done nothing negligent.
“I was a little irritated,” she said. “I just couldn’t believe it.”
“This is a 25-mile-per-hour road with crosswalks and he was in the crosswalk,” she said, referring to what she said were several witnesses in the case and information investigators shared with the family.
RED BANK: FAMILY MOURNS MAN KILLED WALKING HOME FROM WORK
Luna-Santamaria died from his injuries five days after the crash at Jersey Shore Medical Center. Friends and family donated more than $18,000 to a GoFundMe campaign to return his body to his native Mexico for burial.
Marlen Luna said she is handling matters for Frankie’s family because his parents and other immediate family live in Mexico. The fact that she is not legally next of kin has complicated the job of handling legal matters related to his death.
At the time of the accident, Red Bank Police Chief Mike Frazee said an off-duty police officer from out of the area was a witness and assisted in corroborating specific information valuable to the accident investigation.
In the case of another more recent pedestrian strike on March 6, Frazee said last week the driver who struck a 56-year-old woman who had left Lunch Break was charged with multiple motor vehicle violations. There are no criminal charges against the driver, who was issued summonses for careless driving, failure to yield to a pedestrian, view obstruction in windshield and failure to inspect. No criminal charges, the case is pending in Red Bank Municipal Court.
In the March 6 accident police said the victim was in the crosswalk when she was struck by a 60-year-old female driver from Long Branch turning left off South Bridge Avenue onto Drs. James Parker in a red Nissan Xterra.
redbankgreen editor Brian Donohue may be reached via email at [email protected] or by calling or texting 848-331-8331 or yelling his name loudly as he walks by. Do you value the news coverage provided by redbankgreen? Please become a financial supporter if you haven’t already. Click here to set your own level of monthly or annual contribution.
