Loved ones grieve loss of Arturo Tlapa Luna in deadly Old Bridge crash
OLD BRIDGE, N.J. -- Investigators believe a driver in a stolen car slammed into another car carrying a family in Old Bridge earlier this week.
A young father was killed.
As CBS2's Dave Carlin reports, 33-year-old Arturo Tlapa Luna died and his wife, two daughters and his father are hospitalized after the vehicle carrying the family was reduced to twisted wreckage.
Two suspected thieves were being pursued by police, who say the pair were in a speeding stolen car. The suspects struck the innocent family members as they traveled southbound on Route 9 in Old Bridge at Spring Valley Road.
READ MORE: At least 1 person killed, multiple others hurt in early morning crash in Old Bridge, New Jersey
"They're left without a father now," said Antonio Romeo DiSantillo, Luna's longtime employer.
DiSantillo owns Pizza and Pasta Factory in Marlboro.
"We are all heartbroken, the whole family, his immediate family and our restaurant family. He's been with me since he was a teenager," he said.
In the aftermath of the early morning fatal crash on Wednesday, DiSantillo set up a GoFundMe page for the family.
"Him and his family really didn't deserve it," DiSantillo said.
A collection was also set up on the pizza shop's counter.
"Just terrible, terrible tragedy," one customer said.
The money is needed for the injured crash survivors who were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
"He has two girls. One is 7, youngest 7, the oldest is about 12," DiSantillo said. "His father was here visiting from Mexico, so his wife, his two daughters and his father are still in the hospital."
"I'm still in shock," neighbor Raymond Blyden said.
The family will return to a close-knit and supportive Freehold Township neighborhood.
"They are a very nice family. I'm over there a lot," Blyden said.
Prosecutors say the driver of the vehicle that caused the crash is 19-year-old Samuel Villar, charged with first-degree aggravated manslaughter. They say he and an unidentified 17-year-old were allegedly attempting to burglarize cars.
State law requires the Attorney General's office to investigate any deaths that occur during an encounter that involves police.
"They're kind of, if they don't do anything, they're mocked for not doing anything, if they chase, this is what happens when you chase. It's just a bad situation," DiSantillo said.
He says maybe laws need to change, but right now, priority number one is taking care of the devastated family.
