NJ man is charged with causing crash that killed Rutgers student

🚔 Driver charged after NJ crash that killed Rutgers student
🚔Middlesex County man accused of crossing into oncoming traffic
🙏 A GoFundMe supporting her grieving family had raised nearly $70,000

WOODBRIDGE — A Middlesex County driver has been accused of causing a head-on crash that killed a 22-year-old Rutgers University student last month.

Silvino Ruiz Alonso, of Iselin, has been charged with aggravated manslaughter, vehicular homicide, aggravated assault, assault by auto and endangering others.

Rutgers student killed in Rt. 27 crash

Amber Torres, of Colonia, died on Feb.18 as police said Ruiz Alonso’s SUV crossed into oncoming, northbound traffic and hit the car Torres was driving.

Woodbridge Police were called to the wreck around 10:30 p.m. along Route 27 North near Deepa Auto Repair.

Passenger and driver hospitalized after crash, prosecutors say

Ruiz Alonso’s 2013 Hyundai Tucson hit the 2025 Nissan Altima driven by Torres, whose friend was a front seat passenger.

The passenger, a 21-year-old woman, also from Colonia, and Ruiz Alonso were both treated at a local hospital, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Family mourns Amber Torres as GoFundMe nears $70K

Torres was mourned by loved ones, including her parents and two siblings.

A GoFundMe campaign to support her family had raised nearly $70,000 as of Friday.

“Amber’s life, though far too brief, was filled with love, purpose, and dedication. She will be remembered as a devoted daughter, a fiercely loving sister, a loyal friend, and a bright, hardworking young woman whose kindness touched countless lives,” according to an online obituary.

On Friday, Ruiz Alonso was being held at Middlesex County Jail pending a hearing on March 10.

Anyone with potential information or surveillance footage of the area was asked to call Investigator Adam Kazawic of the Woodbridge Police Department at 732-602-7375 or Detective Stenly Vertus of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-839.

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